


Imprimatura

by bluemoonmaverick



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Romance, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-08-10 17:40:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7854724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemoonmaverick/pseuds/bluemoonmaverick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even in a completely different reality, where a strictly enforced color-based caste system stands between them, some things remain the same.   Sam/Jack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a true AU -- or is it an AR? I get those two confused. Anyway, our characters are plopped right down into a world completely different from the norm. I borrowed the idea for the color-based caste system from Pierce Brown's Red Rising, in part because [mild spoiler alert] the first part of his book made me think he was as big a fan of Beneath the Surface as we are, and in part because I kept wondering how our heroes would fit into the caste system he created. To be clear, his book has nothing else to do with this story, and there is no need to read it first. A description of Brown’s color-based caste system can be found at the end of the chapter. 
> 
> With thanks to BethanyActually for the beta.

Chapter 1

Sam bent over the bathroom counter and stared at the readout with disbelief. She'd been so sure this time. She was three days late, and she was never late. With a huff of frustration, she threw the device onto the counter, cracking its plastic housing in the process. Dammit! It didn't make any sense. After all, she was still young, in top physical shape -- just like all Golds -- and had been tested repeatedly. Everything was normal. Yet they'd been trying for four years now, and she still wasn't pregnant.

Jonas was going to be furious.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the man himself spoke behind her, his tone clipped. "I assume that's not good news?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. He was home a full week earlier than expected, and she'd had no idea he was there. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing heart and wondered when exactly her husband had started making her so nervous. Of course, she already knew the answer: when it became clear that his goal of fathering a dozen sons with her wasn't going as planned.

Jonas Hanson currently controlled all major metals and plastics plants in the Americas and Asia, making him one of the most powerful men on Earth. Over the past several years, he had also become exceedingly wealthy, mostly by demanding exorbitant prices on manufactured goods from the dependent Luna and Mars colonies, as well as the less fortunate areas of Earth.

He'd inherited the business from his father three years ago when he and his eldest son Mikal, Jonas' older brother, had died in a fiery plant explosion. Since then, the rumors surrounding the cause of the accident and Jonas' rise to power had swirled. At first, Sam had refused to believe that her husband had anything to do with his family's demise, but as the years passed and he grew increasingly cruel and unpredictable, she couldn't help but think there might be some truth to the stories.

Sam's own estranged father, who owned a small mining facility on Luna, had been more than happy to arrange her marriage into Jonas' more influential family. Though she sometimes blamed her father for her current troubles, she doubted four years ago he fully understood what kind of man Jonas was. She wondered if he knew now. Probably not, since she hadn't spoken to him since the wedding. And frankly, in the beginning, even she was fooled.

During the first several months of their marriage, she found her new husband rather charming. Even when it became apparent that she wasn't going to conceive as quickly as he hoped, he was kind, assuring her that these things just took time. But once he took over the family business, the need to produce strong heirs who could defend their position as one of the preeminent families of Earth had become urgent. And now, in their fourth year of marriage, his patience was clearly running thin.

With an irritated huff, he suddenly shifted behind her, and she realized that she had not yet answered his question. Keeping her voice even and trying not to display the emotions he'd come to loathe, she said simply, "It's negative."

"I see," he responded coldly. Sam reluctantly turned to face her husband. The vein on his temple was throbbing, and she knew that he was barely containing his anger. He didn't like things he couldn't control, and her inability to conceive was at the top of that list. "When will you be ready?"

She bristled. Ready to try again, he meant. It was always the same. Each month, he forced her to monitor her hormone levels and keep detailed notes on her cycle so that they could schedule their relations for the optimal chance at conception. As though she were some kind of brood mare.

"Two weeks."

He frowned and turned to leave. "Let's hope I'm here then," he said, as he walked out of the bathroom without sparing her a second glance.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and silently hoped he wasn't. If she didn't so desperately want to get pregnant, she'd be happy to stop sleeping with him altogether. Sex with Jonas had never been enjoyable and was increasingly unpleasant.

Although she was young and inexperienced when they first married, she'd been eager to learn from new husband. But even in the early days, he would often leave her unsatisfied, entering her before she was ready and finishing far too quickly. Once when they were together, she had instinctively put her fingers on her own body, only to have him slap her hand away furiously, explaining that sort of thing was beneath her, that it would make her no better than a filthy Pink. His attitude was more than a little ironic; she knew for a fact he didn't have any trouble sharing his bed with plenty of that color, especially these days. But at the time, she'd been mortified. The memory still made the blush rise on her cheeks. Needless to say, she'd never tried that again.

With one move she swept the remnants of the broken pregnancy test into the trash, checked her appearance in the mirror, and left the bathroom in search of her husband. Though normally she'd try to avoid him after the type of exchange they'd just had, his unexpected return meant that her plans for traveling to the University that day were ruined. As such trips were the highlight of her days at the moment, she needed to know when he was leaving again so she could reschedule as soon as possible.

She wandered the halls of their home, trying to figure out where Jonas had gone. Not surprisingly it took a while to find him, given the size of the place. Their huge, white marble house had been built over 500 years ago, in the late 1800s, and was situated on several acres of a densely treed estate. Technically, it was registered as a "historical manor" by the Early Earth Society, and Sam absolutely loathed it. It was simply too big, too ornate, and too old for her liking. Though the grounds were beautiful and their staff of Browns catered to her every need, she couldn't help but think of it as a prison of sorts, isolated as it was a good 50 miles outside of the city.

As Sam rounded the corner toward Jonas' large, wood-paneled office, she ran straight into Teal'c, the giant Obsidian who led her husband's security forces. She gasped and immediately tried to back away, but he simply gave her a solemn nod before stepping around her, leaving her alone in the hallway, her heart pounding. She had only met the dark warrior once before, on Jonas' flagship, and he had terrified her then just as he terrified her now. The fact that he was there at their home meant something was definitely wrong.

She had little time to dwell on the meaning of his presence, however, because as soon as she entered Jonas' office she caught Samuels, her husband's chief administrator, looking her up and down with a distinct air of distaste. She considered rebuking him, to put him in his place as the little, little man has was. After all, a Copper had no standing to judge a Gold, even if she was clearly under her husband's thumb. Unfortunately, her husband adored his personal bootlicker, and so she simply narrowed her eyes at him instead, causing him to quickly turn his attention back to the tablet in his hand.

She addressed her husband, who was sitting behind his antique mahogany desk. "You came home early."

"Yes," he replied without looking up from his papers. "We ran into some trouble." She waited a full minute for him to elaborate. He gave an irritated sigh, put down his pen, and looked up at her over steepled fingers. "The uprising on Mars has emboldened some of our own Reds. Our transport was attacked on the way to the Asteroid Belt and we were forced to return to Earth earlier than anticipated."

It took a moment for her to process what he was telling her. She'd heard of the uprising on Mars, of course, but she was under the impression it was an isolated event. If the Reds were in full revolt, then there was no doubt Jonas would be a target. With some surprise, she realized that she wasn't sure how she felt about that. In any event, it certainly explained the presence of his chief Obsidian here.

Jonas continued. "It has become increasingly dangerous to travel, Samantha." She furrowed her brow at the use of her full name, one of his many habits she despised. "Still, I must leave again immediately." He stood then and walked around the desk to place his hands on her shoulders in what he likely assumed was a comforting gesture. She tried her best not to flinch. "I want you to stay here while I'm gone."

Her reaction was immediate, and the words were out of her mouth before the thought was even fully formed. "I won't be a prisoner in my own home, Jonas."

His eyes flashed, and Sam saw his face begin to flush in anger. He wasn't used to this type of defiance. "Don't argue with me, Samantha!" he snapped, before taking a deep breath and visibly trying to calm himself. He gave her a smile with absolutely no humor in it. "It's for your own safety, darling. Besides, there's nothing in the city for a Gold to concern herself with anyway." He waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Let the Browns do the shopping."

"Shall I cancel your transport to the University, then?" Samuels asked, looking decidedly smug, and Sam stifled a gasp as her husband's eyes shot to hers.

The University was the one place she felt completely comfortable, a place where she could do research in real books and spend hours debating the finer points of astrophysics with the professors there. Jonas, however, despised all Yellows and found it personally offensive that she enjoyed spending so much time in their domain. As a result, he'd forbidden her from going to the University, and she now had to plan her visits to coincide with his absences.

As for Samuels, she wasn't sure how he knew about her trip, but she was certain the smarmy bastard knew exactly what he was doing to her marriage.

Jonas cocked his head at her and gave her a half smile, as he picked up a tumbler of scotch from his desk and took a long sip. "You were going to the University, Samantha?" He spoke with a false calm and sickly sweet voice that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

She didn't know exactly what came over her, other than the fact that she had grown weary of her husband's arbitrary rules and had no desire to allow Samuels to think he'd gotten the better of her. She ignored the warning bells going off in her head and held her chin up high. "I still am."

Suddenly, Jonas threw the crystal glass he was holding across the room, where in broke into a million pieces on the floor, startling her and Samuels both. "I will not have you acting like a common Yellow, Samantha!" He screamed in her face. He took two steps closer, intentionally invading her personal space, and lowered his voice to a threatening timbre. "Now, you will stay here while I am gone, or so help me, I will leave you with nothing, and you can make a living scrubbing toilets for the academics you seem to love so well!"

"At least then I wouldn't have to waste my life away here!" she immediately spat back at him, and she knew as soon as she said it that she'd taken a step too far.

Without warning, he backhanded her, and she stumbled backwards. Despite his rumored proclivity toward violence, it was the first time he'd ever actually struck her, and she was completely stunned. Even Samuels managed to look shocked before he quickly excused himself and scurried from the room.

As she raised a shaking hand to her cheekbone, she felt the tears well up, but she resolutely refused to cry. She turned to leave, but he grabbed her upper arms and spun her around to face him. The fevered look in his eyes unnerved her. He was wild, out of control. He tightened his grip on her arms, and she knew there would be bruises there to match the one rising on her cheek tomorrow.

For a moment, she was certain that he was going to strike her again, but then he seemed to catch himself. Slowly, he eased his hold on her. "I'm only doing this for your own good, Samantha," he said, almost desperately. "I love you. You mean the world to me. All I want is to keep you safe." With a quick kiss to her forehead, he released her and swiftly exited the room.

It was only then that she began to shake uncontrollably. She sank to the floor. Clearly, going to the University that day was out of the question. But she couldn't help but wonder if wasn't riskier to stay there in the house with him.

oOoOoOo

That night she went to bed early hoping to avoid him, but when she woke up almost eight hours later, she realized that he'd never come back to their bedroom. She suspected that he'd called a Pink to keep him company instead. It wouldn't have been the first time. Though she should have been upset at his infidelity, in truth she was grateful.

Throwing the cover aside, she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to freshen up and change her clothes. She checked on the bruise blooming in a magnificent shade of purple on her cheek and tried to cover it with some makeup.

Sure enough when she exited her bedroom, she spotted a scantily-clad Pink leaving one of the spare rooms. With warped interest, she studied the woman as she made her way down the hallway, hips swaying seductively side to side.

She was everything Sam was not. Like all Golds, Sam was tall and blonde and classically beautiful; this woman was dark-haired, exotic, and built to please. She was also clearly Jonas's new favorite. After all, it wasn't the first time Sam had found her in their house. She realized with some surprise that she even knew her name -- Vala -- though she had no idea how she knew that.

The woman looked over her shoulder at Sam, and they briefly made eye contact. Sam couldn't be certain but she thought for a moment that the Pink actually winked at her. Before she had time to process that particular offense, the woman had turned the corner, undoubtedly on her way out of the house to meet the transport that Jonas had arranged.

Shaking her head, Sam made her way to the kitchen in search of coffee, where she unexpectedly ran into Jonas sitting at the breakfast table, reading his tablet. Samuels was there, too, accompanied by a man she'd never seen before. His slightly militaristic bearing made her think he was probably a Gray. For a moment, she wondered if someone had called the police after hearing their argument the day before.

But, no, Jonas was in a fine mood, and he called her over as though nothing had happened. She approached him cautiously, and he smirked at her. "As we discussed yesterday, Samantha, things have become somewhat dangerous. As a result," he motioned toward the new man, "I've had Samuels arrange a bodyguard for you. He's to stay with you at all times, especially when I'm away." Her horror must have shown on her face because he quickly added, in a self-satisfied tone, "Consider it a compromise, darling. You may occasionally leave the estate, but he will accompany you wherever you go."

Furiously, she gave the stranger the once over. He was taller than her husband, slightly older, and admittedly quite handsome, though the cool way he was assessing her immediately put her off. After all, there was only one reason Jonas had hired him, and that was to spy on her. It was an outrage.

While she continued to glare at the man, the tension in the room grew. "My goodness," her husband said with a chuckle, "apparently, we've all forgotten our manners." He gestured toward the stranger again. "Samantha, allow me to introduce Jack O'Neill."

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack studied the woman as she approached the group of men warily. She was strikingly beautiful, even for a Gold. She was also young - younger than Hanson anyway, and certainly younger than he was. And she was clearly pissed. On second thought, make that extremely pissed. But even though she was staring daggers at him as Hanson explained his purpose there, Jack couldn't shake the sense that underneath her tough facade, she was also somewhat vulnerable.

Of course, that might be attributable to the huge bruise marring the side of her face, the one she'd tried but failed to cover. He shot a look at Hanson and clenched his fists. He knew the bastard had given it to her. He'd seen enough domestic violence over the course of his years on the force not to spot it for what it was, though some part of him was surprised to find that even a Gold wasn't immune from that particular brand of nastiness. The very fact that Hanson had hired him to watch over his wife was all the confirmation he needed; like most abusive husbands, the guy was a control freak.

God, he hated Golds and their fucking sense of entitlement. Apparently doing whatever the hell they wanted extended to the treatment of their spouses, not that this particular spouse would thank him for his pity. No, she'd probably sooner scratch his eyes out than accept any help from him, a lowly Gray. Which meant that this was going to be one hell of a crappy assignment.

Still, it wasn't like he had a lot of options. Trying to survive on his paltry pension for the last two years wasn't working out so well, and given the circumstances surrounding his unanticipated exit from the force, private security was pretty much the only work left for him. A part of him wondered why Hanson would bother paying a full-time security guard to keep his wife safe when he clearly had no problem hurting her himself. At the end of the day, though, he supposed it didn't matter. Even though babysitting an ice queen wasn't exactly his dream job, at least the pay was good.

He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by Hanson's mention of his name. "Samantha, allow me to introduce Jack O'Neill."

The woman immediately shifted her gaze to her husband without acknowledging Jack in the least. "I'm going for a run," she replied in a steely tone. With that, she turned on her heel and left.

Yep, this was going to be tons of fun, Jack thought.

oOoOoOo

Jonas Hanson watched as a Brown led O'Neill out of the kitchen toward the guest rooms. As soon as he was certain they were out of earshot, he rounded on Samuels.

"I'm leaving this afternoon for the Outer Rim. I'll be gone for at least two months." Samuels nodded, and Jonas lowered his voice. "I want her dealt with before I return. Is that understood?"

Samuels gave him a tight smile. "Of course, Mr. Hanson. It shouldn't be a problem."

"It has to look like an accident, Samuels. I'll never be able to find another wife if anyone suspects I had anything to do with her death."

The Copper smirked. "That's where O'Neill comes in. Who would think that the man who hired a bodyguard to protect his wife would want to kill her?"

"Yes," he said, thoughtfully. "You're sure he won't be a problem?"

"I'm certain, sir," Samuels replied with complete confidence. "He was once a highly decorated officer, but my sources tell me that O'Neill hasn't worked in over two years. Apparently, the incident that led to his discharge left him...damaged. He's completely useless now."

A slow smile spread across Jonas's face. "Perfect."

oOoOoOo

Jack followed a middle-aged, portly Brown down a long hallway that appeared to lead to at least a dozen different rooms before she finally stopped at a tall, paneled door halfway down. "Your bedroom is here, sir," she said authoritatively. She quickly pulled out a key and opened the door, and when Jack entered behind her, his jaw nearly hit the floor.

The bedroom was huge - almost as large as his entire apartment in the City. A canopied king-size bed draped in blue and yellow silk dominated the center, leaving plenty of space for a double wardrobe, a writing desk, and a sitting area, complete with two cushioned chairs and a coffee table situated in front of a small fireplace. A large bay window overlooking the extensive grounds filled the entire wall opposite the door. At the far end of the room was another door that Jack assumed led to the bath.

So caught up in his surroundings was Jack, he almost didn't hear the Brown excuse herself and make her way toward the hallway. "Wait!" he said quickly, startling the poor woman. She looked somewhat unnerved, so he decided that it was time to turn on the charm. "Miss...?" he questioned.

" _Mrs._ McMannis," she corrected him.

"Ah, yes, Mrs. McMannis, of course." He gave her his most winsome smile. "Thank you for showing me to my room."

Blushing a bit, she smiled back at him. "You’re welcome, sir."

She turned to go, but Jack placed his hand on her upper arm, causing her to pause and look up at him questioningly. "Um, I was wondering if you could tell me a little about Mr. and Mrs. Hanson."

"I really couldn't say, sir," she replied immediately, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.

Jack nodded. "I understand. I didn't mean to put you in a difficult position. It's just that it would be _really_ helpful for me to know something - anything - about our employers." He smiled at her again.

Mrs. McMannis looked torn for only a second, before leaning toward Jack and motioning him closer. "You'll want to watch out for Mr. Hanson, sir," she whispered. "He can be...unpredictable."

"And Mrs. Hanson?" Jack asked. "What's she like?"

But the woman simply shrugged and shook her head. "Sad."

With that she turned and walked briskly out the door, leaving Jack to wonder exactly what kind of screwed-up family life the Hansons had. He had little time to dwell on it, though, because no sooner had Mrs. McMannis exited his room than he spotted Samantha Hanson, dressed in running gear, walking with purpose down the hallway.

"Hey!" Jack called after her, as he leaned out of the doorway. "Mrs. Hanson!"

She looked briefly over her shoulder and scowled at him before picking up her pace. Jack swore under his breath. How was he supposed to protect her if she wouldn't even let him get close enough to talk to her? Quickly, he went back into his room and began rummaging through his bag. He'd just have to catch up to her and make her see reason.

Within the space of two minutes, he'd changed into his workout clothes and running shoes and was headed down the hallway after her. He stopped only long enough to get directions to the trail from yet another Brown before heading out the back of the house into the cool, damp morning air.  
He hadn't gone more than a mile when he began to feel the effects of the last two years spent largely on his couch. Damn, he used to be able to run ten miles without so much as a twinge. How did he let himself get this out of shape? He knew depression was primarily to blame, but he shoved that thought and the others surrounding it into the far recesses of his mind. He had a job to do now, and he couldn't let the past interfere. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the pain and doubled his stride.

After yet another mile, this one much tougher than the last, Jack still hadn't seen any sign of Hanson's wife. At least the trail was nice, he thought. The well worn path had started from the back of the manor and almost immediately plunged into the oak and pine forest surrounding the estate, meandering over gently rolling hills and occasionally crossing a gurgling stream by means of several small wooden bridges. Dogwood and huckleberry lined the trail beneath the higher canopy, and every now and then he caught a whiff of the sea.

Somewhere into the third mile, Jack realized that he was likely never going to catch Mrs. Hanson. Golds were bred for strength and speed, as well as beauty, and while he might have been able to keep up with her a few years ago, there was no hope of that now. As the path leveled out, he stopped to catch his breath and look around. The smell of the ocean was stronger there, and he was somewhat relieved to see the towering canopy giving way to scrub brush and rockier terrain. The trees were beautiful, but they made it difficult to see too far down the trail or get a good sense of direction.

He shivered. It was colder on this part of the trail, too. Late summer was giving way to early fall and this far up the northeastern coast the weather was already starting to turn cold and gray. If he hadn't been working so hard, he'd probably be freezing.

He was just about to reverse course and head back to the house when he spotted a flash of blond hair some distance ahead. As he stared, a pretty face turned in his direction and then disappeared. She wasn't that far away, Jack thought. If he hurried, he just might be able to catch her. Summoning the last of his reserves, he sped down the sloping trail.

Unfortunately, he was so intent on trying to reach his target that he realized too late the path had taken a sharp turn to the left and that he was now barreling straight toward a short cliff that jutted over the roiling ocean. Seeing that he was is real danger of running over the edge, he twisted his body and slid sideways, coming to an almost immediate stop but slicing up his legs on the sharp rock in the process. With grunt he leaned back on his elbows and tried to catch his breath.

"You should be more careful," a feminine voice said from somewhere on his right.

He whipped his head around to see Samantha Hanson appraising him from a short distance away. She looked perfect, as though she hadn't even broken a sweat, and he wasn't sure if that or the fact that she'd clearly witnessed his less than graceful tumble pissed him off more.

"Good advice," he said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. "I'll keep that in mind."

He was fairly certain she smirked at him before she took off like a shot back up the trail. He sighed and looked down at his bleeding legs. Nothing too serious, but he wouldn't be doing any more running that day. Had she intended for him to fall? He stared out over the ocean and wondered what he'd gotten himself into.

"Well, fuck," he muttered.

oOoOoOo

When Jack woke up the next morning, he was surprised to find daylight streaming through the large bay window in his room. He glanced at his watch and groaned. 0810. He couldn't believe he had slept so late, particularly since he'd gone to bed before midnight. The moment he stood, though, every muscle in his body reminded him of exactly why he'd needed the extra rest. He really was going to have to get in better shape.

It had taken him the better part of an hour to make his way back to the house after his little spill on the trail the day before. Fortunately, he didn't see anyone upon his return other than Mrs. McMannis, who immediately brought him some peroxide and bandages. Once he'd gotten cleaned up, he'd gone in search of Mrs. Hanson, and while he never found her, he did meet most of the rest of the staff, all of whom assured him that she would likely remain in her bedroom until Mr. Hanson left that evening. But if she'd come out at any time after her husband had gone, Jack hadn't seen her.

A soft knock on the door roused him from his thoughts. He pulled a shirt over his head and moved stiffly toward the door. When he opened it, he grinned at the woman standing there with a tray full of food and, more importantly, coffee.

"Why Mrs. McMannis, I do believe you are my very favorite person in this house."

She huffed at him indignantly, but Jack caught the beginnings of a smile as she pushed past him into the room and set the breakfast tray on the writing desk.

"So, any idea where Mrs. Hanson might be this morning?" he asked her, before taking a bite of toast. With his mouth full, he quickly added, "And please tell me that she hasn't gone running."

Mrs. McMannis had already started making his bed. "I'm sorry, sir, but she just left," she replied, keeping her eyes on her task.

"Left?" Jack asked, startled. "Do you know where she went?"

She turned to pin him with a knowing glare and spoke very slowly. "Well, I can tell you that I'm confident she has not gone to the University."

"Oh?" Jack pressed, intrigued by her tone, which belied her words. "Why's that?"

"Because Mr. Hanson has forbidden her from going there."

"I see," Jack replied, and Mrs. McMannis gave him a curt nod before moving toward the door. "Mrs. McMannis?" he called after her, and she turned to look at him. "Could you arrange a transport to the University for me?"

"Of course, sir," she replied, and this time Jack was certain he saw a smile.

oOoOoOo

Fortunately for Jack, Hanson's wife had apparently stopped for coffee somewhere along the way, because he caught up to her just outside the entrance to the University. Jumping out of his transport, he began trailing her from a distance. He watched with some surprise as she paused to slip several credits to a homeless man by the gate. The man gave her a toothless grin and shockingly thanked her by name. Obviously, it wasn't the first time she'd done that.

Jack continued to trail her as she walked through the campus, greeting several people along the way. He couldn't help but notice that she looked lighter somehow, as though she were more at ease here than in her own home. Before long, she had turned onto a long sidewalk that led to a squatty brick building with a sign that read "Humanities." He activated the acoustic device in his ear and settled behind a large oak tree to watch and listen.

A young man with floppy hair and round glasses came out of the building and approached her as if he'd been waiting for her for days. As she drew near, he took her hands in his, and she kissed him on the corner of his mouth. Jack let out a low whistle of surprise at the level of their familiarity. Was something going on between them? The guy was good looking enough, Jack supposed, but he was clearly an academic, most likely a Yellow, not a Gold.

As if in confirmation, he heard the man say, "I only had one class this morning, so we've got the entire day." He beamed at her. "I'm really glad you were able to get away."

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, Daniel. But I'm here now," she replied with a smile, before preceding him into the building.

Jack sat down by the tree and thought about what he'd just witnessed. Between her sympathy for the homeless man and her affection for the Yellow, there was clearly more to Samantha Hanson than he first thought. While she could no doubt be exceedingly aloof, it was apparent that she had a softer side as well, something he never would have suspected based on their interaction yesterday. The fact that she not only acknowledged but interacted with the lower colors was almost unheard of for a Gold.

He found it both intriguing and, if he were honest, somewhat troubling. Close relationships between the colors were discouraged, and intimate relationships of any kind were forbidden. If his growing suspicion about the reason she enjoyed spending so much time at the University proved accurate, she could be in real trouble.

Having a sexual relationship with any lower color other than a Pink was punishable by death. Hanson could kill her, he could make a spectacle of it, and not only would it be legal, it would be applauded. Golds did not look favorably on the possible dilution of their line.

If Jack had discovered an affair between the Yellow and Hanson's wife, how many other people might know? Apparently, this was the one place Hanson had forbidden her to go. Was he already aware of her indiscretion? Was he just waiting for her to dig herself in deeper? And was he going to use Jack to testify? That possibility did not sit well with him at all.

Sure, they might have had a rough start, but he had no desire to see someone put to death for falling for the wrong person -- not even an ice queen.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It had been over a week since he'd shown up in her kitchen, and Jack O'Neill was still following Sam around everywhere she went. Fairly quickly she'd realized there was nothing she could do about it, so she had stopped protesting his constant presence and focused on simply ignoring him instead. To her eternal consternation, the man simply would not take a hint. The ruder she was, the harder he worked on trying to charm her, and although she was loath to admit it, she was starting to enjoy the attention, just a little. Still, she knew she couldn't trust him; Jonas had hired him, and she was certain he was sending him regular reports on her activities. And so she continued to do her best to avoid him.

Other than a couple of trips to the University, she had mostly kept to the house, where it was easier to escape. The only exception was her morning run -- he insisted on trailing after her as she made the six mile loop from the house to the ocean and back again. At first it was easy to outpace him, but after a few days she noticed with no small degree of alarm that he was showing more stamina and was therefore able to keep up with her for longer periods of time. He took advantage of that fact, trying to engage her in conversation as they ran. Thus far she had yet to respond, but that didn't seem to deter him in the least. She begrudgingly had to admit she was impressed by his perseverance.

Since he dogged her steps for nine days straight, she was surprised when he didn't join her at the trailhead that morning, as was his habit. For the first three miles of her run, she wondered where he could be and if something might have happened to him. But as she approached the coast, she finally saw him standing on the small cliff overlooking the sea -- the same one on which he'd fallen that first day. She stopped to catch her breath and admire the view.

She'd thought that Jack O'Neill was handsome from the very beginning, but seeing him now standing on the edge of the ocean in his fitted running gear, he nearly took her breath away. The silver in his hair was the only thing that hinted at his age, and even that seemed only to accentuate his other attributes. He was lean and muscular and tan, with long limbs and a chiseled jaw that, but for his dark hair and eyes, could have made him easily mistakable for a Gold. He was undoubtedly an extremely attractive man.

As if he could read her mind, he turned and gave her a smirk, obviously pleased with himself. It was only then that she realized he had run there ahead of her, most likely with the very intention of tricking her into missing him and making her concerned about his whereabouts. She swore under her breath.

"You're nothing if not predictable," he said. "For security reasons, though, you should probably work on changing up your routine."

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied acerbically, echoing the words he had said to her during their earlier encounter there. He grinned even more broadly, and once again it occurred to her too late that he had finally received the response that he'd been working so hard to elicit over the past several days. Frustrated with her unthinking reaction to him, she turned with a huff and immediately began running back toward the manor. Even though he didn't follow, she just knew he was still smirking at her from behind.

oOoOoOo

Later that evening, after taking a long bath, Sam was relaxing by the fireplace in her bedroom when she heard a knock at her door. Anticipating Mrs. McMannis and dinner, she quickly got up and opened the door wide, only to find Jack standing in the hallway holding a tray. Silently, she cursed his growing familiarity with the Browns and made a mental note to talk to them about getting too close to him.

"Your dinner, ma’am," he said, extending the tray in her direction as his eyes began drifting down toward her chest. It only took a second for her to realize that her robe was gaping and less time than that to pull it closed. Caught in the act, he quickly brought his gaze back up to her face, almost tipping the tray over in the process. "Sorry about that," he mumbled. Although his voice was contrite, his eyes were still smiling.

Sam wasn't sure whether he was apologizing for almost spilling her dinner or for ogling her cleavage. In the end, she decided it didn't matter because he obviously wasn't sincere either way. Pulling it from him with a little more force than necessary, she took the tray and promptly closed the door in his face.

"I thought we were making progress!" he yelled through the door.

"You thought wrong," she replied.

After several long seconds, she heard him walk away muttering something about hoping she had a nice dinner, and she released the breath she hadn't known she was holding. The interaction had left her flustered. Once again, he'd managed to get her to acknowledge him. But that wasn't what had her really worried.

With slightly trembling hands, she set the tray down on the table and tried very hard not to think about how much she liked the way he'd looked at her.

oOoOoOo

Several days later, she walked out of the Humanities building with Daniel to find Jack sitting on the top step. She'd known for some time that he regularly followed her to the University, but it was the first time he'd actually waited for her outside the entrance to the building.

"Ready?" he asked her as he stood, with another one of his maddening smirks.

She ignored him, walking right by without even looking his direction, while he took up his usual position trailing behind her. Daniel glanced back at Jack at least twice before finally tugging on her arm. "Um, Sam, who's that?" he asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

She stopped abruptly and let out an exasperated sigh. "That," she replied pointedly as Jack approached, "is a third wheel."

"Hey, that's not very nice," he said to her with mock indignation before quickly extending a hand to Daniel, who, to Sam's utter dismay, took it. "Jack O'Neill."

"Dr. Daniel Jackson," he replied automatically as they shook. In the silence that followed, Daniel looked back and forth several times between Sam, who was glaring, and Jack, who was smirking, before finally landing on Jack. "I'm sorry, but why are you here?"

But it was Sam who answered, though her narrowed eyes never left Jack's. "He's my bodyguard, Daniel. I told you about him, remember? Jonas hired him."

"Ah," Daniel replied but still managed to look confused. "Well, I have to get to my class. Thanks again for your help, Sam."

She smiled at him. "Any time, Daniel."

He kissed her on the cheek and began to walk away. "Oh! Nice to meet you!" he called over his shoulder to Jack, who raised a hand in return.

Sam scowled and continued to walk briskly toward the University gates, but Jack easily matched her pace with his long stride. They were almost to the street when he spoke. "Look, I was wondering if I could talk to you."

His serious tone was such a change from his normal flippant demeanor that she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and was surprised to find that he looked somewhat somber. "It's about Dr. Jackson," he added.

That brought her up short. She stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "What about him?"

She watched, fascinated, as he began to fidget. Whatever he wanted to talk about clearly made him uncomfortable. "I know it's none of my business," he began, "but I really think you should be more...discreet."

"Discreet," she repeated, trying to process what he was telling her. Could he know about Daniel's research? Suddenly, his meaning dawned on her. "You think we're sleeping together." Then she remembered his mission, and her anger flared. "Is that what you're telling Jonas?"

He looked taken aback. "Why would I tell your husband?"

But she was really pissed now. "Isn't that what he's hired you for? To spy on me while he's gone?"

"What? No! I'm here to protect you. That's it." He seemed so earnest she almost believed him, but the more she thought about his accusation, the more furious she became.

"You think I would sleep with another man? With a _Yellow_?" She regretted the words as soon as they'd left her mouth. Despite the fact that she was a Gold, she'd never really subscribed to the whole genetic superiority thing. And honestly, she'd probably rather sleep with Daniel than Jonas; it was just that she'd never really thought of him in that way.

As for Jack, he looked like she'd just slapped him in the face. But the nature of their conversation had made her so mad, she wasn't about to back down now, and so she doubled down. "What do you think -- he just bends me over his desk and has his way with me in the middle of his office?"

She'd pushed his buttons; that was certain. He was more than a little angry now, too. "I don't know what you do, and frankly I don't care," he spat. "But it looks for all the world to me like you two have something going on, and you and I both know what will happen if that's true."

People were staring at them now, so she lowered her voice slightly, though her tone was every bit as caustic as before. "Even if Daniel and I were allowed have a relationship, it's not like that. We're colleagues. That's it. We share a passion _for science_. But then that's something I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand. So you can go tell Jonas whatever you want."

Without waiting for a response, she stormed through the gate and immediately started looking for a transport. He called after her, but she ignored him and quickened her pace. She'd only made it half a block down the street when she heard a loud screeching noise behind her. Turning her head, she spotted a motorblade rounding the corner at high speed, and her only thought was how reckless the driver was.

She'd barely heard Jack yell, "Look out!" when she found herself sprawled on the ground, his body pressing hers into the sidewalk. Furious, she was about to protest when she heard an explosion just above her head. Pieces of steel and glass rained down around her, but it was only when she felt his breath hot on her ear that she registered danger. "Stay down," he whispered urgently. "He's coming back." At the same time, she heard the screeching sound again, and her anger turned to fear.

Instantly, she became acutely aware of her surroundings. All around her, panicking people screamed as they tried to run for cover. An incessant ringing in her ears muffled the sound, and smoke and dust filled her nostrils as pieces of paper and plaster floated through the air. One moment, she was cursing the heavy weight of Jack's body on hers, the next she wanted him back to shield her from the chaos.

Despite Jack's order to stay down, the second he rolled off of her she sat up, just in time to see a hooded man dressed entirely in black, riding a motorblade and pointing a disrupter in her direction. Completely exposed now, she was certain she was going to die. As the man in black gunned the motorblade, Jack yelled something at her and stepped into the path of the vehicle, pulling a disrupter of his own from a holster at his waist. The motorblade lurched forward, and Sam raised her hands to cover her head and shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. She winced as several shots were fired, and then there was more screeching, more glass falling from above, and the undeniable sound of steel colliding with concrete before everything suddenly got very, very quiet.

Sam had no idea how much time had passed before she finally became aware that someone was touching her, shaking her gently. Slowly, she removed her hands from her face and opened her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Jack was down on one knee, gripping her shoulders and looking her up and down, trying to determine if she'd been injured.

She blinked at him with owlish eyes. He looked so concerned, she thought. Like he was really worried about her. She couldn't remember the last time someone looked at her that way. It made her want to laugh and cry all at the same time, but all she could manage to do was nod mutely at him instead.

Somewhere in the distance she heard sirens.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

It was dusk by the time they returned to the manor. Between the medics and the police, they had spent the better part of the day downtown, and all Jack wanted now was a hot shower and his bed. One look at Samantha Hanson's face was all it took to know that she was thinking the same. Unfortunately, the staff had other ideas.

They were ambushed just inside the front door by Samuels, who immediately began fussing over Mrs. Hanson, as though he were eager to verify that she was fully intact. A handful of Browns hovered in the foyer, eyeing them worriedly, but when he caught their reflection in the mirror opposite the entry, Jack could understand why. They were a mess. Both of them were covered with dust and dirt and blood. His hair was sticking straight up, her clothes were torn, and the wrist she'd sprained when she fell was wrapped in medical tape.

"What happened?" Samuels asked, but the fact that he'd practically jumped on them the moment they walked in made Jack think he'd likely heard about the incident with the motorcyclist already. No doubt the story was all over the telecom.

"I'm going..." Mrs. Hanson began, but she didn't finish the sentence, choosing instead to simply make a vague gesture in the direction of her bedroom. Jack assumed she meant that she was going to get cleaned up and rest. He exchanged a knowing glance with Mrs. McMannis, who gave him a quick nod and immediately began to follow her down the hallway.

Jack turned his attention to Samuels who was still impatiently awaiting an answer to his question. "We were attacked outside of the University," he offered by way of explanation. "Looks like Mrs. Hanson was the target."

"Is she hurt?"

"She's a little banged up, but otherwise she's fine."

Physically, at least, he thought. He wasn't so sure about her mental state -- she'd silently stared out the window the entire ride back. She was shaken, that much was certain, and he was pretty sure she was still in shock. It concerned him more than he liked to admit. She'd seemed so small and vulnerable in the transport, hardly the same woman who had tricked him into nearly running off the edge of a cliff. Sure, she put up a tough front, but after this event, he thought he was starting to see some chinks in her armor, and for reasons he couldn't fully explain, he had an overwhelming desire to comfort her. He’d had to remind himself repeatedly that his only job was to protect her.

"Was it a Red?" Samuels asked, his insistent tone pulling Jack from his thoughts.

Jack shrugged. "That's my guess."

"How did she get away from him?"

The question struck him as odd, and on closer observation of the administrator, Jack could see that his demeanor was off somehow. His eyes were a little too bright, and he couldn't seem to keep still. Clearly, he was eager for information, but Jack seriously doubted he was concerned about Samantha Hanson's well-being. He paused a long moment before responding.

"I shot him."

"So is he dead?" Samuels asked anxiously.

"Very."

At that, the Copper visibly relaxed a little. "Well." He tugged firmly on the bottom of his shirt as if he could pull the wrinkles out of it and raised his chin. "We're lucky to have you, Mr. O'Neill."

"Yep," he replied, noncommittally, and Samuels stalked off without another word.

Jack stared after him. He didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him, and damn if he couldn't shake the sense that there was more to the desperate nature of his questioning than concern for the wife of his employer.

He didn't have much time to ponder what was wrong with Samuels because in the next second the holocom on his wrist vibrated. With the press of a button, a 3-D image of a fellow Gray appeared in front of him.

"Captain," the man said, acknowledging Jack.

Jack sighed. "I'm not your Captain anymore, Mitchell."

Cameron Mitchell was one of the good guys, one of only a handful on the force he still trusted. For years, he'd reported up through Jack's chain of command. Jack had always liked him. Still did, maybe even more so now. After all, he was the only reason he and Mrs. Hanson weren't still at police headquarters.

Cameron gave him half a grin. "Old habits, sir."

Jack purposely ignored the honorific. "So what did you find out? Who’s the perp?"

"Actually, we're familiar with the guy."

"I take it he was a rebel?"

"Nope." Cameron paused for effect. "Try mercenary. Nothing more than common addict, someone who’d do pretty much anything for his next hit. He's been causing us some trouble down in the Lower Quarters."

Stunned by this latest piece of information, Jack immediately began sorting through the implications. Would Hanson’s enemies order a hit on his wife? From what Jack could tell, Hanson barely paid her any attention, and when he did, it wasn’t exactly positive.

When it became clear Jack was too deep in thought to respond, Cameron continued. "Anyway, you did us a favor, taking this guy out. You shouldn't have to worry about any charges."

"Good," Jack replied distractedly. "That's good. Thanks."

"How's the Gold?" Cameron asked.

"What? Oh, she'll be okay. She just got a little rattled."

"I bet. Well, you take care of yourself, Jack."

"You too, Cam." With that, he hit a button and the image of his former colleague disappeared.

While Jack was thankful for the information, he didn't like where the evidence led at all. The whole situation was fishy. He supposed their attacker could have been hired by the Rebellion to take out Hanson's wife, but based on what he knew about the rebels, using a hired gun hardly seemed like their style. And based on what he knew about Hanson, he wasn’t certain he would care.

He suddenly had a very bad feeling.

oOoOoOo

The next morning Jack waited for Mrs. Hanson to begin her run in his usual spot near the trailhead. He was only slightly surprised when she didn’t show; yesterday had been a rough one. But he couldn’t help worrying about her. He knew that she wasn’t seriously injured – they had both been checked out by medics and cleared at the scene, which meant that any lingering problems were of the psychological variety. In a nutshell, she was spooked.

He decided to grab a bite to eat before going to her room to check on her, but when he entered the kitchen, he found her seated at the breakfast table, eating toast with coffee. She looked better than expected. Her wrist was still bandaged and the skin above it was starting to bruise, but aside from that and the dark circles under her eyes, she otherwise appeared unharmed.

He hovered by the doorway for a moment until she met his eye and gestured to the seat next to her. Jack realized that it was the first time she’d invited him to join her for a meal. Actually, it was the first time she’d asked him to join her for anything. Without waiting for her to change her mind, he sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw her wipe her mouth with a napkin, then fold it neatly and place it on the table before turning to him. “I wanted to thank you,” she said. Jack paused with his coffee cup halfway to his lips. “For yesterday,” she added, as if there was any doubt as to what had earned him her sudden gratitude.

Jack put the cup back on its saucer and shrugged. “It’s my job, Mrs. Hanson.” She looked annoyed at that. Having no desire to rebuff her unexpected goodwill, he added quickly, “But you’re welcome.”

She gave him a tight smile, and there was an awkward silence, during which they both sipped their coffee and Jack desperately searched for something to say to break the tension. When the thought hit him, he mentally kicked himself for not asking already.

“How are you feeling?”

She kept her eyes on her coffee mug. “I’m fine,” she said, even though it was clear she wasn’t. Jack thought that was probably all he was going to get out of her, but she surprised him with her next words.

“It just...” she sighed, and started over, without meeting his gaze. “I don’t know. When that man came after me, I just froze. I felt so exposed, so helpless.” She finally looked at him. “I don’t like feeling that way. That's not who I am. I'm not a victim.”

He wondered if she thought she said the words with enough conviction they would be true. After all, she had willingly stayed with Hanson for this long, and Jack was pretty sure that even if the physical abuse was relatively new, the emotional abuse had probably been going on for some time.

Still, he found that he desperately wanted to help her. Sure, she was beautiful, but it was more than that. He had to admit, albeit reluctantly, that her fiery nature was starting to grow on him. He wanted to protect her, not just because that was what he'd been hired to do, but because he was starting to care about her. And that was a dangerous thing.

Suddenly, he knew how he could help, and the words were out of his mouth before he’d had time to register the warning bells going off in his head. “I could teach you a little self-defense, if you’re interested.”

She brightened immediately. “You’d do that?”

“Sure. You never know when it might come in handy.” He had to keep his eyes from straying to her cheek, where the faintest trace of bruise a still lingered. He’d give what little was left of his pension to see her flatten Hanson.

"When can we start?" she asked, almost eagerly.

"We can start today, if you're up for it."

She smiled at him then, really smiled, and he felt it in his toes. Damn, she was gorgeous.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, it occurred to him that this could be the dumbest thing he’d ever done. But when had that ever stopped him?

oOoOoOo

Over the course of the next several days, he began teaching her basic self-defense. He’d been surprised to discover that the manor really did have everything, including a gym with a wall of windows on one side that overlooked the back lawn. It was a great space, and he would have killed to have had something half as nice back when he was on the force.

As for Mrs. Hanson, she was proving to be a fast learner. Of course, she was learning by doing and that kept her in close contact with him, especially once her wrist had healed and she had full use of both hands. It wouldn't have been as much of a problem if she didn't smell like lavender and honey and if she didn’t insist on wearing form-fitting workout clothes that accentuated every last one of her many assets.

Still, Jack thought he was doing a pretty good job of keeping things professional until one day when she unexpectedly flipped him on his back and immediately pinned his hips to the mat by straddling him, her thighs clasped tightly to his body. Fast learner, indeed, he thought. She’d let out a yelp of triumph when she bested him, and he was going to laughingly congratulate her until he looked up at her face and saw something akin to desire mixed with curiosity. The heat in her gaze brought him up short, and for a moment time seemed to stand still.

He instantly became aware that she was centered on his groin, a fact that clearly wasn't lost on her. Fascinated, he watched the color rise in her cheeks, as her pupils dilated and her breath quickened. He was certain she was going to move, but when she simply continued to stare down at him instead, all the blood in his body rushed south and he knew that if he didn't do something soon, things were going to get embarrassing. Calling on a level of self-discipline he didn't know he had, he quickly grasped her by the hips, rolled her off of him, and stood with an arm outstretched to help her up.

After a moment's hesitation she took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet, but not before he caught movement outside of the windows. A quick scan of the grounds revealed Samuels scurrying away, and Jack got the uneasy feeling that the Copper had been spying on them the entire time. He wondered how much the man had seen.

Realizing there was little he could do about it, he turned his attention back to his pupil. She was still flushed and a little dazed, no doubt--like him--trying to figure out what had just happened between them.

Jack cleared his throat. "We'd better call it a day, Mrs. Hanson."

Immediately, she seemed to recover. "Well, if we're going to roll around on the floor together,” she said, with her hands on her hips, “you probably ought to call me by my first name."

That got his attention in some interesting ways, and he had to take a deep breath to calm his racing pulse before responding. "Okay...Samantha," he replied slowly, trying out the name. It didn’t suit her, though.

Apparently she agreed, because she scowled and shook her head. "No, not that. Call me Sam."

"Alright, _Sam_." He liked that much better, and better still when she rewarded him a broad smile. She began to walk off, and he called after her, "See you tomorrow morning, Sam."

She looked back and gave him a cheeky grin. "Yes, _Jack_. I'll meet you at 5 am sharp for a run. You should prepare yourself. I plan on repaying you for the self-defense lessons by helping you work on your stamina."

That, he thought, sounded promising.

oOoOoOo

Jack was waiting in nearly pitch blackness at the trailhead for Sam, who didn’t say a word before she dashed off.

“Hey!” Jack yelled after her.

She smirked at him over her shoulder. “Catch me if you can!” And then she was gone.

Jack swore under his breath before taking off after her.

He finally caught up to her a mile and a half down the path and was disappointed to find that he only had to slow a little to match her pace. “Nice of you to join me,” she quipped, and if Jack had any breath left he would have given her an acerbic reply. Instead, they ran in companionable silence for another mile until they broke free of the forest and began approaching the cliff.

Jack stopped suddenly, dumbstruck by the beauty of the dawn just starting to break over the ocean. "Whoa."

Clouds that seemingly sat at the very edge of the sea were turning a vibrant orange and pink and purple as the first rays of the sun began to overtake the night sky. Forty-five degrees above the horizon sat a single star, the morning star, still brilliant in the lightening sky. Jack couldn’t remember when he’d last seen such a beautiful sight.

The scene was enough to bring Sam to a halt as well. "Oh, wow." Without hesitation, she walked onto the cliff and plopped down, letting her feet dangle over the edge.

"Now that's an impressive sunrise." Jack joined her and lowered himself to sit almost shoulder to shoulder with her, though he was a little warier of the edge.

"Yeah," she sighed, dreamily. They sat quietly for a while, enjoying their front row seats to the magnificent display. "It's too bad that's the only star we can see from here," she said after a few minutes.

"It's not really a star, you know," he offered, though he was fairly sure she was well aware it was Venus. No one even remotely close to a city of any size had been able to see the stars for years.

"I know," she replied, wistfully. "I miss seeing the stars. When I was a girl on Luna, I would watch the sky for hours. The Milky Way was so beautiful." She paused, and he wondered for a minute what she must have been like as a child. The thought of a blond-haired, blue-eyed terror wreaking havoc all over the moon made him smile. "Have you ever been to Luna?" she asked him.

Jack shook his head. "No, I've never gone anywhere off world. But when I was a kid, my grandfather had this cabin in middle-of-nowhere Minnesota. We couldn't see the Milky Way, of course, but back then, way out there, we could still make out most of the major constellations." Now it was his turn to get nostalgic. He’d adored his grandfather and the time they’d spent together at the cabin. "He had an old telescope, too. On clear mornings, he'd wake me up before the crack of dawn, and we'd look at Venus and Jupiter. It was..." He broke off for a minute, uncertain if he should finish that thought. She smiled at him, and he decided to hell with it. "It was nice. Kind of like this."

She looked out over the ocean, but he noticed with some relief that she was still smiling. "Do you still go to the cabin?" she asked, quietly.

"Nah. Not since my grandfather died, probably twenty years ago now. But I think about it sometimes. Maybe one day I'll go back, fix it up…see if I can still see some stars." He waited for her to look at him before continuing, but she kept her eyes on the horizon. "What about you? Do you ever want to go back to Luna?"

"I'd love to, someday. Jonas thinks it's too dangerous for me to go off world. But Luna's so close it doesn't really count, does it? I mean,” she began, finally turning to face him, “maybe if you went with me, it would be okay?"

The way she was looking at him made his heart skip a beat. God, she was beautiful. And he was starting to realize that despite his initial impression, she just might be as lovely on the inside as she was on the outside. It was crazy to think of her that way, though. She was married to one of the most powerful men in the solar system, and she was a Gold, no less. There probably wasn’t any woman on the planet who more out of his league or more dangerous to fall for. But as he sat beside her on that cliff, watching the sunrise light up her face, he decided he really didn’t give a damn.

"Yeah. I think that would be okay."

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Sam was both relieved and nervous to be back the University. It’d been a few weeks since the incident with the motorcycle. She still wasn’t completely comfortable venturing outside the manor, and she’d been on pins and needles until they’d finally stepped inside Daniel’s office. Something about the cluttered space had a calming effect on her, but it didn’t hurt that Jack was there either. She’d asked him to accompany her inside the building this time, not only because she wanted his protection, but because she was genuinely starting to enjoy his company. Of course, having him with her at all times meant that he needed to know what she and Daniel had been working on, and she had no idea what he was going to think.

Sam studied Jack’s expression as Daniel began to explain the nature of his research. He kept his features purposefully neutral, but she knew he was probably thinking that Daniel had lost his mind. She could hardly blame him. When Daniel had first told her about his theories, she’d thought he was crazy, too.

Watching them together now, she couldn’t help but smile and wonder how on earth she had grown so close to two such unlikely men. After all, they were complete opposites and both so far below her color caste that she was pushing the boundaries of decent behavior just being alone in the same room with them. But really, she wouldn’t have it any other way. Daniel’s thirst for knowledge and insatiable curiosity excited her intellect like none other. And Jack…well, Jack excited other things, though she would never admit that to anyone else.

Ever since he’d started training her in self-defense, they'd grown closer. Much closer. Oh, he was careful to keep things professional, but she'd noticed the way he looked at her sometimes, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't like it. When his eyes drifted over her body, as they were prone to do on those rare occasions when he let his control slip, it made her go all warm and liquid inside. He was strong and tall and muscular, much more so than Jonas, and at times like those she found herself wondering what it would feel like to have him hold her to him while he moved inside her.

She knew she shouldn't think of him that way – Jack was a Gray and she was a Gold, and a romantic relationship between them was strictly forbidden. If it were just a physical attraction it wouldn't have been a problem; she was a grown woman and more than capable of controlling her libido. But lately she'd found herself growing more attracted to him on a personal level as well.

They talked now on their runs, really talked, and she was pretty sure she'd gotten to know more about him in the last few weeks than she knew about her own husband. And though he was still holding a few secrets close, she certainly knew enough to conclude that he was a good man underneath it all, one who seemed to care about her the way she was starting to care about him. It was dangerous, she knew, but it had been a long time since she mattered to anyone, and she liked the way he made her feel. She liked _him_.

Even so, she still wasn’t completely sure she could trust him, and she was definitely not certain how he would react to the research she’d been doing with Daniel. Daniel, on the other hand, being naturally trusting by nature, clearly didn’t share her concerns and was happily explaining everything they’d been working on for so many months. As for Jack, his skepticism was starting show.

“Wait,” he said. “You think this stone that was discovered-- What did you call it again?”

Daniel was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. “A coverstone. Discovered in Giza in 1928.”

“You think this coverstone says something about the Egyptians, the _ancient_ Egyptians, traveling through space?” Jack screwed up his face in such a way that Sam had to cover her grin.

“Yes! Well, not in the traditional sense,” Daniel added quickly. “Through a kind of portal. Something they called a Stargate.”

“A Stargate.” Jack repeated.

“Yes.”

Jack turned to address Sam. “And you believe in this--this Stargate?”

“I believe it's theoretically possible,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“It's how Sam and I became friends, actually,” Daniel volunteered. “I went looking for information on different forms of space travel, but none of the astrophysicists or other scientists at the University would give me the time of day. Except for Sam.”

Jack cocked his head at the archeologist in mock disbelief. “Really. You don't say...”

Once again, Sam had to stop herself from smiling. Daniel certainly had a way of winding Jack up, likely without even realizing it. But as much as she was enjoying their banter, she decided it was time to come to her friend’s aid.

“Daniel wanted to know how someone might travel great distances across space without a ship. So we started talking about wormholes. And that's when he showed me a picture of what was under the coverstone.” She pulled a large photograph depicting the object of their research from under a pile of drawings and handed it to Jack. “We think this device might have been the portal,” she said, tapping the grainy black and white picture of a large ring with her index finger. “A Stargate. Get it?”

Jack frowned. “No.”

“Daniel, show him the cartouche.” The archeologist handed her another picture that she passed to Jack. “This writing was found with the coverstone. See?” She pointed at both photographs. “These symbols correspond to the symbols on the outer ring of the Stargate. There are seven of them.”

“Ah, now I get it!” Jack said excitedly.

Daniel’s eyebrows shot to the top of his head. “You do?”

“No,” Jack deadpanned.

Sam took a deep breath. She’d quickly learned that Jack could be obstinate sometimes. Smart, but obstinate.

“We think it might be an address.” She grabbed a pencil and began drawing a cube on a spare piece of paper. “Look, it takes six points of reference to pinpoint a location in space.” She indicted the intersection of six lines drawn from the center of each side of the cube.

“Fine, but you just said there are seven symbols here.”

“Right. We think the seventh symbol is most likely the point of origin.” With that, she drew a dot off to one side, then a line connecting it to the center of the cube. "Our theory is that the Stargate opened a wormhole to a similar device on another planet, one outside of our solar system."

Jack shook his head as if to clear it. “Okay. So let's say this thing did create a wormhole through space that allowed the Egyptians to go gallivanting across the galaxy. Why'd they stop?”

“I don't know,” Daniel admitted. “But they did. Apparently, they buried the Stargate, which prevented anyone from leaving - or coming to - Earth.” He shrugged. “Maybe they came across someone they didn't like. Regardless, the ramifications are fascinating.”

“Imagine if there are other civilizations out there, Jack, other people beyond on our own solar system.” Sam was warming to her subject. “It would completely change how we see our own world.”

Jack huffed. “Sounds dangerous to me. Where is this thing now?”

Daniel sighed. “I don't know that, either. I found the pictures from the dig in Giza but other than that, I can't find any reference to the cartouche, the coverstone, or the Stargate anywhere.” He shook his head. “I'm not sure it matters anyway.”

“Why not?”

“We don't know what these symbols mean." He gestured to the symbols on the cartouche. "They're not hieroglyphs.”

“Of course they’re not hieroglyphs,” Jack replied. “They're constellations.”

Daniel and Sam looked at each other in shock. “What?” they said in unison.

Jack shrugged. “Well, at least that's what they look like to me.” He pointed to one of the symbols on the cartouche. “See? I think that one’s Orion.”

Daniel snatched the photo of the cartouche away from Jack and brought it close to his face in order to examine the image. “Oh my god. I think he's right!”

“No need to act so surprised,” Jack muttered.

“Jack, you're a genius!” Sam exclaimed before planting a kiss squarely on his cheek. She knew she shouldn’t have done it, but she thought it was well worth the breach in decorum just to see the color deepen on his already tanned face.

They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to determine which constellations corresponded to the symbols on the cartouche. In the end, they’d figured out all but one – the symbol Sam believed was the point the origin. It was different from the rest, and after several hours they were fairly certain it wasn’t a star pattern. Still, it had been a productive day, and so it was with a sense of euphoria that Sam and Jack traveled back to the manor.

Though it was late in the afternoon, Sam was so keyed up that she decided she needed to burn off some energy. She looked for Jack everywhere but finally decided to head out to trailhead alone, where she really wasn’t all that surprised to finally find him, waiting on her. She wasn’t sure whether his newfound ability to seemingly read her mind was charming or disturbing, but in either event, she was glad to have him along for her run, particularly since the sky looked more than a little threatening and it would be getting dark soon.

No sooner had she sauntered over to meet him than he gave her a cheeky grin and without warning took off like a bolt into the forest. “Hey!” she yelled, before barreling down the trail after him.

His stamina was definitely improving, she thought, because she didn’t catch up to him until just before the turn at the cliff. She slowed to match his stride and was impressed to see that he didn’t even sound winded when he spoke.

“Thanks for letting me tag along today. It was fun,” he said. “I think you're both nuts, of course, but it was definitely interesting.”

“We should be thanking you for your help with the cartouche. We've been trying to figure out what those symbols mean for months.” She paused as she thought about how truly helpful he’d been that day. “You know, I think you might not make a bad scientist.”

“Watch it,” he replied, his voice a mock warning.

“No seriously,” she laughed. “Have you ever wanted to do anything other than security work?”

He began to slow a bit as they approached the cliff overlooking the ocean. “Nah. I was born a Gray, so it's not like I had a lot of choices. But even so I loved being a cop. After I retired, security was the next logical step.”

“If you liked it so much, why'd you retire?” The words were out of her mouth before she realized what she’d said. She knew that this was the one topic they had yet to discuss, and she’d had the distinct impression it was something that bothered him greatly. Her suspicions were confirmed almost immediately.

“I, uh, didn't exactly leave voluntarily.” With that he slowed to a walk and headed out onto the cliff, his eyes on the storm clouds gathering over the turbulent sea.

She followed after him. “I didn’t mean...” she said, trying to backtrack, but he cut her off.

“It's alright. I thought you knew.” He stopped at the edge, placed his hands on his hips and let out a long sigh. At first, Sam thought he was angry, but when she studied his face carefully, she saw different emotions at play there – shame, regret, and a profound sadness. The thought of what might make such a strong man seem so vulnerable scared her more than a little, so when she shivered, it had nothing to do with the dropping temperature. In truth, she wasn’t certain she wanted to know this particular story, but with his eyes glued to the horizon, he began to tell her.

“A couple of years ago, there was this Silver, a commercial developer, who owned some buildings down by the docks. He pulled some strings and got the Chief to agree to send a team to clear out a gang of drug lords that had taken up residence in one his warehouses. He wanted to tear it down to build luxury apartments, or something.” He waived his hand in the air in a dismissive gesture. “Anyway, I was tagged to lead the team. It was dangerous work. This particular gang had a rather nasty reputation; I'd lost men to them before, and I swore I wasn't going to let it happen again. So we went in loaded for bear.” He paused for minute as though steeling himself for what was coming next. “My men were nervous, twitchy. I probably should have called off the op – something didn’t feel right; I had a bad vibe. But I didn’t. When we went in, it was dark; we couldn’t see much. And it was quiet. Too quiet. I was just about to give the order to retreat, when there was this sound, like a blaster being primed, and before I knew it, my guys started firing like crazy. It was over almost as soon as it started.”

“What happened?” Sam asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jack grimaced. “We killed them. All nine of them. Except when the dust cleared, we realized we hadn’t taken out any drug lords at all. They were just a bunch of homeless kids. Reds, mostly. Runaways, orphans. Unarmed.”

Sam was stunned. She remembered hearing about the story on the holo a couple of years ago. She never would have thought the officer involved could be the man standing beside her. Of course, the press had vilified him at the time. She couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for a man as decent as Jack. She suddenly felt an overwhelming need to comfort him.

She placed a hand on his arm. “You couldn’t have known…the Silver—“

He whipped his head around, finally looking at her. “The Silver lied. But it doesn’t matter; it was my fault. It was my op. So I took the heat. Lost my job, my house, my wife, pretty much everything I cared about.”

“I’m sorry, Jack,” she said, looking into his eyes and giving his arm a squeeze. And she meant it.

After several seconds he dropped her gaze and cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, what about you?” he asked, clearly desperate to change the subject. “Have you ever wanted to do something different? Seems like you have a knack for this science stuff.”

Sam was glad to take the out. “Well, in a perfect world, I would teach at the University, like Daniel. But Jonas would never allow it; he doesn’t even like me visiting.”

“Yeah, about that.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck, as though he was about to say something unpleasant. “Look, I’ve got to ask – do you think he might have thought you were having an affair?”

“With Daniel?” She shook her head. She knew Jack had initially thought that was the case and she could understand why, but he was way off base when it came to her husband. “No, never. Jonas is far too proud to think I would spurn him for anyone, and certainly not a Yellow. Such a thing would never even cross his mind.”

Jack stiffened immediately. “I see.”

“No, you’ve got the wrong idea.” It was suddenly very important that he understood her feelings on this issue. “Jonas believes Golds are superior to everyone else, that the colors shouldn’t mix, but I don't think that way. I don’t care that Daniel’s a Yellow. Not that there's anything going on with us, not like that,” she added quickly. “But when I talk to him, I just see my friend. Color doesn't matter. It's the same when I'm with you.”

His demeanor softened considerably, and she suddenly found him inside her personal space. “So, is that how you see me? As a friend?” he asked softly.

The air around them instantly became charged, and Sam drew in a sharp breath as her heart began to race. It was a daring question, one she had no idea how to answer. It was no secret they'd grown close over the past several weeks, but she'd been careful to keep her true feelings about him to herself. Hadn't she? Could he know how she felt? Or was he still trying to figure it out? She wasn't sure she was ready for what might happen if she admitted the depth of her attraction to him, so she flipped the question around.

“Isn't that how you see me?” she asked him. She couldn’t believe how breathless she sounded.

Like her, he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he held her eyes for so long she was absolutely certain he was going to kiss her.

Thunder rumbled above. Jack glanced up, and just like that the moment was lost. Sam wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved.

“Looks like we’re gonna get wet," he said gently. "We should probably head back.”

They turned around and started jogging back to the manor, but it quickly became apparent that they weren't going to beat the storm. They had just emerged from the forest, when the first few drops began to fall. They picked up their pace, but half-way across the great lawn, a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, startling them both. Sam could smell the ozone.

"Gah!" Jack yelled. "We need cover!"

She scanned the area and spotted what she was looking for a few yards to their right. "Over here!"

She beckoned Jack to follow, and together they sprinted toward a small, glass-enclosed building. Sam pulled on the door and was relieved to find it unlocked. They'd just ducked inside when the bottom dropped out of the sky.

"What is this place?" Jack asked, as the rain beat down hard on the opaque glass roof.

"A greenhouse," Sam answered. She looked around the space and felt a little guilty at its state. It was overgrown, uncared for, a mess. She began to wander down an aisle of empty pots. "It was gift from Jonas. He gave it to me right after we were married." She continued, talking to herself as much as Jack. "He never asked. He just assumed that I would like raising flowers, that it would give me something to do while he was gone." She fingered the leaves of a long dead begonia. "I tried at first; I really did. But it turns out I'm not much of a gardener. I didn't enjoy it. And the plants never did grow well."

She stopped and turned to find herself face to face with him. "It's like they knew I was faking it."

"So you abandoned it," he said, as he moved even closer to her, and suddenly the air between them was charged again. Sam felt the now familiar pang of desire his proximity elicited.

"I got tired of pretending to be something I’m not," she replied, her voice just above a whisper.

He cupped her jaw and ran his thumb over her cheekbone, and her insides turned to jelly. "And what about now?" he asked, his voice low and husky, as the thunder rolled and the rain fell in sheets outside of the greenhouse.

"I…" she began, but he didn't wait for an answer. He kissed her instead.

He was reserved at first, but the feeling of his lips on hers ignited the flame that had been smoldering between them from the beginning, and soon she was responding in kind. Encouraged, he deepened the kiss, and she let him in completely, and suddenly it was as if they were trying to touch each other everywhere all at once.

Sam could smell his scent, heady and masculine, and feel the corded muscle in his arms tense beneath her fingers as he ran his hands along the length of her body. His touch caused a fire to bloom low in her tightening belly, and as he kissed her jaw and down the long column of her neck, her desire ratcheted even higher. He slipped his hand beneath her shirt and began kneading her breast. When his thumb brushed over her erect nipple, she couldn't help the involuntary moan that escaped her lips. It was a sound made just for him, one that told him exactly how desperate she was to have him inside of her, and it obliterated what little restraint he had left.

With one arm he swept clear a table filled with empty pots and dried up plants; with the other he grasped her around the waist and lifted her onto it. He went back to kissing her mouth, but now he was standing between her legs, pressed right up against her core, and she would have been embarrassed about how damp she was except she could feel exactly how much he wanted her, too.

The storm outside was nothing compared to the storm of emotions raging in Sam's head. She'd never wanted anyone so badly in her life. Until that day, the only man she'd ever been with had been Jonas, and even though they'd slept together on multiple occasions, she'd never felt the type of connection she had with Jack. She realized that over the course of their marriage, he'd hardly paid her any attention at all, either in bed or out, and she could count on one hand the number of times she'd experienced physical pleasure with him. Even on those few occasions when he'd brought her to completion, it had been totally unintended on his part.

But Jack was different. He wanted her, of course; that much was certain. Yet he was clearly determined to make sure not only that she enjoyed it as much as he did but that the emotional experience matched the physical. It was a first for Sam, and it drew her even closer to him than before.

As the rain let up a bit, they stopped kissing long enough to come up for air, and he leaned his forehead against hers. Slowly, his fingers found their way beneath her clothes and between her legs. Unused to the sensation, she tensed when he touched her, but he was both gentle and firm at the same time, moving against her so carefully, so sensuously, that she quickly realized that he was going to make her come in her clothes. Soon she couldn’t think of anything other than how good he was at this. She let her head fall back and was just about to give herself over to him completely, when another bolt of lightning struck nearby, jolting her out of her reverie.

She pulled back suddenly. Oh god, what was she doing? Jonas would have him executed, and her, too, most likely.

“We can’t,” she whispered desperately and gently pushed him away.

The look on his face made it clear that he didn't understand what was happening, but he backed off immediately, giving her enough space to hop to the ground on unsteady legs. Without looking back, she practically sprinted for the door of greenhouse. It was only after she'd run through it that she heard him call after her.

Ignoring the overwhelming desire to turn back, she bolted across the lawn into the manor and didn't stop until she made it to her bedroom, where she closed the door, locked it behind her, and slid down to ground with her head in her hands. It was only then that the full impact of her actions hit her. She and Jack had been well on their way to making love in that greenhouse. If they'd been caught, it would have meant a death sentence for them both.

But the crazy thing was that when she thought about the way he touched her, the way he made her feel, she cared a whole lot less about the ramifications than she should.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

Jack woke the next morning with a splitting headache and a guilty conscience. If Sam hadn't run out of that greenhouse the day before, he was certain they would have crossed a potentially fatal line. Hell, they were probably there already.

It was all his fault. The tension had been building between them for weeks, and he should have distanced himself from her the moment he realized he was attracted to more than just her physical attributes. Instead, he'd let himself get carried away.

He was pretty sure his feelings weren't one-sided. On a purely sexual level, she'd certainly been responsive to him yesterday, at least at first. But she'd left so suddenly, he knew that he'd pushed things too far, that he'd taken advantage. One thing was clear to him now: she was a married woman, a Gold. Even if there was a mutual attraction, he'd been way out of bounds kissing her, particularly considering how heated things got. He was supposed to be protecting her, and instead he'd needlessly placed her in harm's way. If anyone had caught them...

So now it was time to clear the air. He'd thought about it all night and was determined to apologize and commit to reestablishing some professional boundaries, and if it wound up being too difficult for either of them, then he'd find someone else to be her bodyguard. He just needed to talk to her. The problem was, he couldn't seem to find her. In fact, he hadn't seen her since she'd bolted from the greenhouse the day before.

Though he wasn't optimistic about his chances of meeting her at the trailhead, he nevertheless donned his workout gear and waited for her to show up for her morning run for the better part of an hour. Eventually he gave up and decided to make his way to the kitchen, comforted by the knowledge that if he couldn't find her there, at least he might find some coffee.

Of course, when he arrived, the only person he saw was Mrs. McMannis, who mercifully poured him a steaming cup the moment he walked in.

"Thank you," he said, gratefully taking the warm mug from her outstretched hand.

"You're welcome, Mr. O'Neill," she replied with a wink.

He gave her a broad smile and did his best to sound casual. "Have you seen Mrs. Hanson this morning, by any chance?"

"She's in her room, in bed, I think." She sighed. "Apparently she's not feeling well. Got caught out in the rain yesterday, the poor thing."

That made Jack feel even guiltier than before, though he knew she was most likely hiding rather than truly ill. Still, he decided it would probably be better not to disturb her for the time being, so he pulled up a chair, asked Mrs. McMannis for some breakfast, and tried very hard not to dwell on the clusterfuck he had created.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Sam still hadn't made an appearance, and Jack couldn't take her absence anymore. Summoning his courage, he headed straight to her bedroom so they could talk things through. He was just about to knock on her door when it suddenly opened from the inside.

"Oh!" Sam exclaimed, clearly startled to find him there. She composed herself remarkably quickly. "I was just coming to find you."

He was somewhat skeptical about the truth of that statement, since she'd clearly been hiding from him all day, but he decided it didn't matter. He'd come to apologize, and that was what he was going to do. "Look, Sam--"

"Daniel called," she said, cutting him off. "He says he needs to see us right away. He thinks he's figured out the seventh symbol." She was speaking quickly and not quite meeting his eye. Without waiting for a reply, she brushed past him. When he didn't follow, she turned to address him, clearly somewhat perturbed. "We should leave now. Are you ready?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied, a little stunned at the unexpected turn of events. "Sure." She immediately began walking down the long hallway. Jack was pretty sure he had no choice but to follow.

Sam had apparently already called for a transport, as one was waiting for them outside the manor. Once inside the vehicle, Jack tried to broach the subject of what happened in the greenhouse again.

"I think we need to talk."

"Not here," she replied sharply.

Her eyes flitted meaningfully to the upper corner of the cabin and the tiny camera that was undoubtedly located there. Jack was duly chastised. He’d been so distracted he’d somehow forgotten that most public spaces, including the interiors of transports, were constantly monitored.

He watched her turn to stare out the transport window and let out a frustrated sigh. It was going to be a long ride, especially since he couldn't help but notice how the color had risen in her cheeks. Now he had to wait to figure out if it was because she was mad, embarrassed – or something else. In any event, the tension was almost unbearable already, and it was going to be another thirty minutes before they arrived at their destination.

By the time they were walking through the front gates of the University, it was late in the afternoon, and Sam still hadn't said a word to him. As they neared the Humanities building, Jack had just about worked up the nerve to try and speak to her once more when, completely without warning, all hell broke loose.

A loud boom rent the air, and they were both thrown violently to the ground. Jack instinctively covered his head as small pieces of concrete rained down around them. He was immediately reminded of the attack several weeks prior, except when he finally raised his head to look around, he could see that the damage was much more extensive this time.

Everywhere people were running and screaming, trying to find cover. Several of the University buildings were damaged and the landscape was completely covered in layer of gray dust that was still falling from the sky. But the most striking and terrifying thing Jack saw was that the Humanities building had been reduced to rubble.

Instantly, he belly-crawled over to Sam and pulled her back down as she tried to rise, crying out Daniel's name. _Shit, the archeologist_ , Jack thought. She wanted to find him, he knew, but when he looked at the gaping hole that occupied the space where the Humanities building had stood, he knew instantly that he was gone, along with anyone else who might have been inside -- including them, had they arrived just a few minutes earlier. It was only then that he truly appreciated their danger.

Jack jumped to his feet and began to scan the area. Much to his surprise, he saw a small ship hovering over the University campus. He must have failed to notice it in all the chaos. But he didn't miss the three masked figures dressed all in black who were rappelling from a hatch underneath the ship, just a few yards away. The moment their feet hit the ground, two of them began walking in their direction.

His mind scrambled to process what he was seeing. "Fuck," he swore out loud, when he realized they were coming for Sam. He began trying to drag her away, but she resisted, at first unaware of the masked men heading right for them. When Jack pointed in their direction, she still didn't move. "Run!" he yelled at her, snapping her out of her stunned inaction.

With his hand wrapped firmly around her upper arm, he led her out of the gates of the University at a jog. To his dismay the streets were mostly deserted, the citizens likely having scattered when the explosion rocked the surrounding area. There would be no losing their pursuers in a crowd.

Jack looked over his shoulder to find that the two masked men were now running after them. Fortunately, though, he and Sam had a good lead and Jack was confident that with all of the training they had done over the past few weeks they would be able to outrun them. Quickening their pace, the two of them sprinted down the boulevard in front of the University then turned abruptly onto an adjoining avenue, where they began to wind their way through the streets that were now filled with the incessant wail of approaching sirens.

Just as he was starting to think they might have escaped their pursuers, a third masked figure stepped into the street from a side alley directly in front of them, causing them to stop short. Jack eyed the empty street behind them. If he held off the masked man, Sam might have a chance. “Go,” he said gesturing for her to retreat.

She hesitated. “Jack—“

“Go!” he yelled at her, pulling his disrupter from its holster.

With one last look at him, Sam took off down the street, and Jack breathed a sigh of relief. But no sooner had he turned around than he realized that the man was firing his own weapon directly at him.

He was certain in that instant that he was going to die, so it took a moment for him to realize that he’d been trapped in some sort of force-field netting rather than shot. He had no time to consider why. With his disrupter already drawn, he began squeezing the trigger randomly and was relieved to see gaping holes appear in the net.

The man who had trapped him hesitated and quickly began adjusting a setting on his own weapon. But Jack immediately twisted his body and fired a shot through the force field that winged his attacker, causing him to drop his weapon and fall to the ground with a grunt that sounded decidedly feminine, another revelation Jack decided he would have to process at a later time.

Quickly, he freed himself from what little remained of the net and took off down the street after Sam. But at the same time, the other two masked figures ran onto the street only a few yards behind him. What little lead he’d had at the beginning was gone, and Jack knew there wouldn’t be any second chances. Still, he refused to go down easily. Making a quick right, he just dodged some sort of weapons fire that whizzed by his ear.

Once again, he was certain he had only seconds to live, but as he rounded the corner, Sam emerged seemingly from nowhere and pulled him into a narrow recess between two buildings. Jack tried to calm his breathing as much as possible while the two of them hurriedly inched as far back as they could into the tiny space. It was a tight squeeze, and if they hadn't been running for their lives, it would have been damned awkward, considering the last time they were this close she couldn't get away from him fast enough.

There was no time to dwell, however, as Jack heard their pursuers approaching. He pulled Sam even closer, and both of them held their breath as the masked men ran by. After several seconds, he finally loosened his hold.

"Now what?" she whispered into his chest.

"They'll be back," he replied to the top of her head. "We need to get out of here."

Without wasting any time, they left their hiding place, and Jack led Sam down several more streets until he found the subway transport station he was looking for. They hurried down into the station, quickly making their way onto a waiting train. Just as it began to pull away, Jack saw all three masked figures arrive on the same platform they had just exited. His eyes flitted to Sam, who was watching them too, through the large picture windows on the train. Though his initial instinct was to pull her away, to his surprise, their pursuers didn’t bother drawing their weapons, choosing instead to simply stare after them until the train took them out of sight. It was just one more thing he found exceedingly odd about the attack.

They spent the next couple of hours transferring from train to train and keeping underground as much as possible. The fact that their enemies had a ship made them vulnerable on the surface, and Jack wanted to make sure they weren’t being followed.

“Where are we going?” Sam finally asked, after they’d entered their sixth train.

“They’ll be waiting for you to return to the manor,” he replied. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

She looked at him expectantly as though waiting for further explanation, but when he didn’t say anything else, she simply turned away and stared out of the window, watching as the subway tunnels zoomed by in streaks of multi-colored light.

The further they went, the more dilapidated the subways stations got, and when they finally emerged onto the street, it was clear that the buildings weren’t in any better shape. By the time they stopped at a particularly sketchy mid-rise, it was completely dark outside.

"What is this place?" Sam asked, looking over her shoulder and down the narrow alleyway they'd just traveled.

Jack placed his palm on a grungy pad next to a solid steel door with no handle. "It's where I live," he replied as the door ground open on its rusted track.

She didn't say anything further, though he was pretty sure she wanted to protest when they entered the dark and rickety elevator that would take them the fifteen stories to his floor. Once they exited the lift, he led her halfway down an unlit hallway, placed his hand on yet another palm pad, and pushed the door open when he heard a click. Extending his arm, he let her precede him into the small space and watched her carefully as she looked around his modest apartment.

It was little more than a single room, with a small kitchenette and bathroom on one side and a living space on the other, just big enough for a low table and a couch that converted to a double bed. A dingy window dominated the wall across from the door. But at least the rest of the apartment was clean, Jack thought. He almost hadn't bothered tidying up before he left and was exceedingly grateful that he had.

"It's not much, but it should be safe," he offered. "At least for now." After all, he'd made some modifications that helped keep him off the grid, at least as much as that was possible in the city.

Sam walked to the window and continued facing it as she spoke. "Who were those people?" she asked quietly.

"Rebels, probably," Jack speculated. "After you, by the looks of it. Just like Hanson thought."

She winced at the mention of her husband's name. After several seconds, she asked without turning around, "Do you think Daniel's dead?"

Jack hesitated. He really didn't want to upset her any more than necessary, but the answer was fairly obvious, at least to him. No one in that building could have survived the blast. "Yeah. I think he probably is."

She finally turned to face him, her brow furrowed. "So these rebels blew up a University building, killed an archeology professor and god knows who else, just to get to me?"

"I don't know," he said after a minute. It didn't really make sense, but what other explanation could there be? "It sure looks that way."

She had no response to that. Instead, she just looked at him, completely lost, and he wondered for a moment what he should do, especially after what had transpired in the greenhouse. He finally decided to hell with it all.

"C'mere," he said softly. She immediately walked into his embrace, and he put his arms around her, pulling her close.

She buried her head in his chest and clung to him tightly. And although he should have been scared as hell about how royally fucked up things were at the moment, all he felt was relieved to have her in his arms again.

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

Sam stood by the window watching the world go by as if her best friend hadn't just been blown to pieces. Too tired to cry, she let out a long sigh instead. She couldn't believe Daniel was gone, and she was having a hard time processing the fact that she and Jack had narrowly escaped being killed as well. It had all left her feeling more than a little lost.

She sighed again. At least she was clean. Jack had offered his tiny bathroom for her use, and she had taken full advantage, anxious to wash away the dust from the explosion that had somehow managed to cling to her skin and clothes despite their frantic sprint through the city.

Jack had just excused himself to take his own shower, so she decided to try to distract herself by poking around the space in which he lived. It didn't take long. His apartment was tiny, but it was rugged and tidy and it smelled like him. That alone was enough to comfort her in a way Jonas's mansion by the sea never could.

Out of curiosity, she pushed a small button on the wall next to the window and was somewhat startled when the couch automatically converted to a bed. Looking at it, she couldn't help but think about what he might do in it, and she was instantly reminded of the things they had done in greenhouse. She felt herself flush with desire.

In light of all that had happened, she wondered what she'd been so afraid of when she ran from him the day before. After all, he was a good man, smart and caring and damned attractive. She wanted him, and he'd made it clear he wanted her as well. And if this day had taught her anything it was that life was too short to let something as trivial as their color caste - or even her loveless marriage - keep them apart.

She heard the shower turn off and quickly ran her fingers through her damp hair, suddenly self-conscious. She was just tugging on the edge of the sweatshirt Jack had given her when he emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing other than the bottoms that matched her top. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she stared at his broad, muscular chest. After a moment, she caught herself and tried to divert her gaze back toward the window.

He glanced sideways at the bed. "You okay?" he asked, as he rubbed a towel over his head, causing his silver hair to stand on end.

She steeled herself, determined now to have the conversation he'd been trying to have with her since they'd left for the University. She owed it to him, and she wanted him to know. It was time.

"I was wrong," she began, but she could see by his furrowed brow that he didn't understand. "In the greenhouse," she clarified. "I was wrong to run away. It's just...I never felt that way before. It scared me."

Jack let his shoulders drop a little. "Sam, I'm sorry."

"No. Don't. Don't be sorry." She turned to face him fully. "I can't stop thinking about you. What happened between us. The way I felt. I want that, Jack. I want you."

Her words hung in the air between them, and she held her breath, waiting to see how he would react.

"Sam." He crossed the short distance between them, and for a moment, it looked like he wanted to give her everything she was asking for until thinking better of it. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Look, it's been a tough day. I think you should-"

Before he could finish, she leaned in and kissed him. When he didn't respond immediately, she pulled away.

His eyes were dark and heavy and desperately searching hers. "You know what this means," he said, his tone deadly serious. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

But she was done living in fear. "Yes," she whispered and kissed him again.

That was all it took. He hesitated only for a second, then his hands were in her hair and his tongue was in her mouth, and he was already growing hard against her.

With one fluid move, she pulled her shirt over her head. She could tell by the way his eyes hungrily raked her nude form that he hadn't expected to find her completely bare, and she could feel herself grow slick when she noticed that he'd already become fully aroused simply by staring at her body. Anxious to feel him move inside her, she slipped her hands beneath his waistband and pushed his pants down, careful to maneuver around his impressive erection.

Once they were both completely naked, Jack pressed the entire length of his body to hers as he captured her mouth once more and moved her back toward the bed. She fell onto the mattress and he followed, situating his hips firmly between her thighs while he kissed her mouth, her eyes, her chin, her neck. A hand grasped one aching breast while his lips found the other. He sucked hard, and she lit up like a Christmas tree as his heavy cock slid roughly over her clit at the same time.

She thought he was going to enter her then, but he surprised her by moving down her body, trailing kisses from her ribs to her stomach. When he tongued the skin below her navel, she gasped and involuntarily moved backward on the bed. He looked up at her confused.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, though she could tell it was the last thing he wanted to do.

She shook her head, but he still looked concerned, and she knew she owed him an explanation. "I've never...no one's ever..." she tried to clarify, but what she meant was that in four years of marriage Jonas had never done for her what Jack was about to do their first night together.

Luckily she didn't have to finish that sentence because it was clear by the mixture of surprise and steely determination on his face that Jack got it. "Do you trust me?" he asked, and all she could do was nod because she knew then that she did. She did trust him. Completely.

"Lie back," he instructed. She followed his command, but when he kissed her bikini line she tensed up again. "Relax, Sam," he added in a husky voice, so she closed her eyes and gave herself over to him fully.

His hands were gentle but his mouth was anything but as he concentrated all of his attention on the bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex. Every long lave of his tongue sent a bolt of electricity shooting through her body, each more intense than the last, and all she could do was hold on for dear life as her body began to respond to him completely of its own accord.

Never would she have given such complete control to Jonas. If she had done that, he simply would have taken until there was nothing left for her to give. And so she'd always held something back. But with Jack it was different. She had willingly ceded dominion over her body to him and been rewarded with nothing less than his single-minded determination to bring her pleasure. And at that he was proving to be something of an expert.

He was slow and purposeful with his tongue and teeth and fingers, bringing her right up to the edge before backing off, then starting all over again. She had no idea had long he held her in that exquisite limbo but just when she thought she might go mad, he suddenly curled his fingers inside her. A startled "Oh" escaped her lips just as he spread his palm flat against her lower belly to hold her hips down as the most intense climax she'd ever experienced finally broke over her in a series of unending waves that traveled the entire length of her body.

She was still spinning as he moved back up her body, stopping for a moment to kiss her breasts. When his tongue found her nipple, her body instantly recalled the pleasure it had just brought her and suddenly she was tightening in response to his touch all over again.

When he was face to face with her, he nudged her thighs further apart, and she could feel him hot and hard against her entrance. He clasped her hand in his and looked into her eyes as he slid inside her on a low groan that made her ache for him.

He wasn't a small man in any respect, larger than her husband certainly, so she had assumed there would be pain, just as there usually was with Jonas. But he had prepared her well, so that all she felt was a pleasurable fullness once he was completely seated inside her. And when he began to move in long, slow, purposeful strokes, she felt her passion building for the second time that night.

He continued to move like that until his breathing became heavier and his movements more erratic. She knew he was close, yet somehow he held on. "Come for me, Sam," he panted in her ear, and she suddenly realized he was waiting on her. It made her dizzy with desire.

Instinctively, she hitched her legs over his, gasping as the change in angle instantly had her teetering on the edge. And just as Jack began to lose his rhythm completely, she tumbled over, taking him with her in a shared rush of ecstasy that seemed to go on forever.

After her aftershocks finally stopped, he gave her a long chaste kiss, rolled to one side, and pulled her close. Sam quickly drifted off, completely exhausted but, despite all that had happened, comforted by the knowledge that she was sleeping in the arms of the man she loved.

oOoOoOo

They spent the entire next day in his apartment making love, stopping only long enough to eat a little food and occasionally watch the holo. The explosion at the University was all over the news. Amazingly, the rescue workers hadn't found any bodies in the rubble, though there were a few people identified as missing, including Daniel. While it was somewhat hopeful they hadn't discovered a body, Sam was certain her friend would have come forward if he were able.

As much as she might have wanted to, Sam also knew that she and Jack weren't go to be able to hide from the world forever. So she wasn't really surprised when, the following morning, they woke up to find that they had both been added to the list of missing persons. Of course, the manor staff had known they'd gone to the University two days ago and must have assumed the worst when they hadn't returned.

"We have to go back," Jack said quietly, his eyes still on the holo.

Sam let out a small sigh. "I know."

With that, Jack turned and pulled her to him. "I'm going to make a call," he said, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"Okay," she replied, but it wasn't really. Strangely enough, the idea of returning to her own home filled her with dread, although she had no idea why.

Jack contacted his former colleague, Cameron Mitchell, who provided a small police escort back to the manor. He still wasn't sure they were out of danger and didn't want to take any chances. Fortunately, Cameron didn't ask too many questions. Sam had the distinct impression that he was somewhat enamored of Jack.

Despite the additional protection, Sam was nervous for the duration of the ride. Jack must have felt the same way, because he kept scanning the skies, no doubt looking for the ship that had bombed the University just two days ago. Only after they arrived without incident did Sam finally feel she could breathe a little easier.

Her relief was short-lived, however, because no sooner had they walked through the front door than her husband walked out to greet them with a smirking Samuels and his giant Obsidian warrior Teal'c in tow.

She couldn't help the small gasp that escaped when she saw them.

"Ah, Samantha. There you are. I was worried," Jonas said, with a voice like ice. He looked pointedly at Jack, and his next words nearly made Sam's heart stop. "Whatever have the two of you been up to?"

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

Jack mentally kicked himself for not thinking about the possibility that Hanson might return once he learned Sam was missing. Now he was scrambling to come up with a story that wouldn’t get them both killed. Unfortunately, the only images that came to mind when he replayed the events of the past two days were the dimples at the base of Sam’s spine, the curve of her hip, and a dozen other places on her body he’d learned with his eyes and hands and mouth, none of which he was supposed to know. 

Hanson was looking coolly at his wife, apparently waiting for a reply to his question. Risking a quick glance in her direction, Jack could see that the color had risen in her cheeks, but otherwise her face was completely neutral. As she continued to hold his gaze for the next several tense seconds, he had to admit he was impressed. Still, the silence between them was growing uncomfortable, so Jack decided that telling the truth, or at least a part of it, was the best course of action.

“There was an explosion at the University—“ he began.

Hanson immediately cut him off. “Yes. So I heard,” he said, still staring at Sam. Jack scowled, but Hanson simply continued glaring at her for a moment longer, then without warning turned on his heel and began to walk away. “I think it would be preferable to finish this conversation in my office,” he said without looking back. The ice in his voice made the hairs on the back of Jack’s neck rise.

Samuels and the giant Obsidian, Teal’c, immediately turned to follow their employer. Seeing that he had little choice, Jack did the same, accompanied after a moment’s hesitation by Sam. 

As they made their way down the hallway, Jack took note of the Browns, lined up on either side of the entry. There was no question they looked worried, and none of them would meet his eyes, save Mrs. McMannis, who gave him a small shake of her head in what he was fairly sure was a warning. The bad feeling he’d had when they’d first arrived suddenly got worse. 

Jack made use of the short time he had on the way to the office to consider his options. There was nowhere for them to run. Hanson’s Obsidians were all over the manor, and though none were as big as Teal’c, they were all huge and surely well trained. As a result, fighting them wasn’t a possibility either. That meant that talking his way out of the situation was his only option, and though it certainly wasn’t his forte, he would just have to do his best. 

Once they’d all entered the office, Samuels took up a position at Hanson’s side, while Teal’c essentially barred the only door. Definitely not a good sign, Jack thought. 

Hanson finally looked at him. “You were saying, Mr. O’Neill?”

“Two days ago a small ship blew up the Humanities building at the University. It was sheer luck we weren’t in it when it happened.” He saw Sam wince, no doubt thinking of Daniel. 

“Rebels, I assume,” Hanson interjected. 

“I believe so,” Jack replied. “We were thrown to the ground by the force of the blast. We were still trying to figure out what’d happened, when several men in black dropped from the ship and began to chase us.”

“They chased you?” Hanson asked, genuinely surprised. Jack didn’t miss the silent exchange between Hanson and Samuels, who looked equally confused. 

“Yes. They were clearly after Mrs. Hanson. They pursued us halfway across the city before we finally lost them. Under the circumstances, I didn’t think it would be safe to return to the manor.”

Hanson’s haughty expression returned. “So where, pray tell, did you go?”

“I took her to my apartment.” 

“Your apartment,” Hanson repeated, with a look of disgust. Jack felt his temper rise. “So you were keeping my wife at your apartment...for her safety,” he continued, clearly skeptical.

Before Jack could respond, Sam jumped in, clearly pissed. “Yes, he was. He saved my life, Jonas. Twice.”

Hanson was unimpressed. “I see. I suppose, then, that I should thank you, Mr. O’Neill," he said in a manner that made it clear that showing gratitude was the last thing he intended to do. "But first, I’d like to discuss another security matter with you.” 

As he turned toward the holo display on his desk, Jack once again had to suppress his instinct to flee. With one sidelong glimpse at Sam, he could see that she had tensed up, too. He didn't know what was coming, but he knew it wasn't good. 

It was only then that he realized that Hanson hadn’t even so much as greeted his wife or expressed any concern over the revelation that she had nearly been killed. In fact, he didn’t seem troubled by it at all. Which meant that something was terribly wrong. Quickly, Jack scanned the room for potential exits, but other than the door through which they'd entered, there were none. And that doorway was currently being blocked by Teal'c. In fact, four more Obsidians had come to join him.

Hanson touched the display, and a darkened holo image popped up in the middle of the room. “It would seem we’ve had some intruders in the greenhouse.” With another touch of a button, the image shifted and lightened until it finally resolved into a short loop of video showing Jack and Sam sharing a passionate kiss. Jack felt his stomach drop. 

He heard Sam inhale sharply, and he tried his best to quell a rising sense of panic. Hanson would kill him, of that he was certain. But even though he was a dead man, he still might be able to save Sam. “I attacked her,” he said quickly. 

Sam’s head whipped around to look at him. “Jack –“ she began, clearly horrified, but he continued talking over her, praying to whatever god there might be that she’d take his lead and shut the hell up.

“If you’ve seen the whole thing, you know that she ran away from me.”

“Yes," Hanson replied. "And then she ran with you to your apartment. Where you apparently spent the last two nights together.”

Jack didn't miss a beat. “I kept her there against her will.”

“Oh?" Hanson said in a sickly sweet voice. "Samuels, have any of those nice Grays who escorted Samantha home informed you that she complained about being kidnapped?”

“No, sir, they have not,” the Copper answered, and it took all of the self-control Jack possessed to refrain from beating the smug look off his smarmy face. 

“That’s because I wasn’t," Sam stated, and Jack felt his heart clench. All he wanted was for her to stop talking, but she continued, practically spitting her next words at her husband. "I went with him willingly, and I’d do it all over again. He’s a good, decent man, Jonas. Something I don’t suppose you would understand.”

Jack closed his eyes, knowing then that she'd condemned herself to death.

Hanson chose not to respond to her, instead directly addressing Teal’c. “Have your men take her to my room and keep her there, until I’m ready to deal with her.” 

Teal’c nodded once and signaled to his men by the door. Two of them stepped forward to grab Sam roughly by the arms and begin to haul her from the office. But Sam clearly had no intention of going easily, so when she started to put up a fight, Jack took advantage of the momentary distraction and with startling speed lunged himself at Hanson. Unfortunately, Teal’c was quicker. With an agility that belied his substantial size, the giant Obsidian grasped his arms and pinned them behind his back, pulling hard enough to make Jack grunt. 

Hanson wasted no time getting right in Jack's face. “I am very much going to enjoy killing you, O'Neill.”

“No! Jonas, don’t! Please," Sam pleaded, as the Obsidians dragged her off. Jack twisted around to take one last look at her beautiful but anguished face, and he suddenly felt a crippling fear -- not for himself, but for her. 

Hanson turned to Samuels, who was smirking like crazy. “How quickly can you get a camera set up for broadcast over the holo? I want an audience for this.”

“Why don’t you just get it over with?" Jack spat, earning him another painful tug on his arms from Teal'c. "No one’s going to care about my death, Hanson.”

“Oh, you’re absolutely right, Mr. O’Neill," Hanson replied. "But the execution of my Golden wife for her blatant affair with a lowly Gray will make headlines." A maniacal grin spread across his face. "I’ll be something of a celebrity. And I'll have a new wife within the month. One who can produce an heir this time.”

“You’re the one," Jack said, as realization dawned. He wondered why he hadn’t thought of it before, since it was clear to him now that Hanson was thrilled to have an excuse to get rid of his wife. "You’ve been trying to kill her all along.”

Hanson backhanded him by way of response, causing blood to pool at the corner of his mouth. Jack spit at Hanson’s feet, hoping to get a rise out of him, but to his surprise, the Gold maintained his composure. “Find someplace to lock him up,” he said to Teal’c. “And if he resists, feel free to do what you must to subdue him. Just make sure he doesn’t die.” He gave Jack a twisted grin. “The pleasure of taking your life will be all mine.” 

Teal’c dipped his head and gestured to the two Obsidians left by the door, who immediately came forward to take Jack away. As the huge men grasped him under his arms and began to drag him from the office, Jack knew that any attempt at escape was likely futile. Still, he had no intention of going down without a fight, so he began to kick and twist as best he could the moment they entered the hallway. 

Without a word, one of the Obsidians punched him in the side so hard Jack felt a couple of ribs break. When he continued to struggle, he was rewarded with several sharp blows to the kidney as well, which were sure to have him pissing blood for days, assuming he lived that long. But it wasn’t until the second Obsidian pulled his left arm out of its socket that Jack was truly subdued. He spent the rest of the journey fighting the pull of blessed unconsciousness. 

The only thing that kept him from succumbing was the thought of Sam and his desperation to save her. Jack didn’t mind dying so much. Hell, he’d been living no better than a half-life over the past few years anyway, and he’d often thought death would be a welcome escape. Being with Sam had given him more joy than he could remember, and after the last two days they’d just spent together…well, for him, it was all worth it. Still, he couldn’t stand the thought that she might die simply because she’d somehow, impossibly, fallen for him. She deserved better, and he was determined to spend every last ounce of his strength trying to fight for her. 

It was for that reason that, as the Obsidians pushed him down a narrow set of stone stairs at the back of the kitchen, he took one last swing at the closest with his good arm. For a moment, he reveled in the fact that he’d made contact with his captor’s jaw, but of course all that earned him was a shove that sent him tumbling down the last of the steps headlong into a closed oaken door at the bottom. He’d barely had time to recover when the Obsidian he’d punched slammed his head against the wall.

The next thing he knew, he was coming to in a dark, cool space. With no small degree of effort, he pushed himself to a sitting position. Once his head had stopped throbbing and his eyes had adjusted to the dim light filtering in from underneath the door, he looked around to find that he was surrounded by stores of potatoes, onions, eggs, and flour. They’d locked him the larder.

Unfortunately, he had no idea how much time had passed since the Obsidians had left him there. Minutes? Hours? Was Sam still alive? He refused to believe that she was gone. He had to get to her. But how? 

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the door to the larder swung open on silent hinges. A massive form filled the frame and it took a moment for Jack to recognize that it was Teal’c, no doubt there to escort him to his death. 

“Where’s Sam?” Jack asked, knowing that he was more likely to get kicked than answered -- which was why Jack was utterly stunned when Teal’c held his arm out, as though to help him stand.

"Come with me if you want to live."

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

Sam paced the length of her bedroom, trying to remain calm and think of ways to escape. Jonas had clearly been enraged when he’d shown up unexpectedly to greet them at the front door, but it wasn’t until he began questioning Jack in his office that she realized he’d come unhinged. And while she couldn’t be certain, she now thought there was a decent chance that he might really hurt her, maybe even kill her. For years, she had dismissed stories of her husband’s cruelty as mere rumor and innuendo. But now she was starting to see what an irrational and dangerous man Jonas Hanson could be.

She glanced at the door. Jonas had left two of his minions outside, making any attempt to leave by traditional means impossible. She considered breaking a window, but even now she could see the rest of her husband’s security forces patrolling the grounds. Not that it mattered, because there was no way she was leaving without Jack. The problem was she had no idea what Jonas had done with him. The possibilities terrified her.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, than Jonas himself suddenly barreled into the room, stopping only long enough to close the door behind him and lock it with an ominous click. When he turned to face her, she could see that he was still fuming. In less than a second, he had his hands around her throat and had her backed against the wall.

"Jonas, I swear, I'll do anything you want,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath beneath his choking grasp. “I'll never leave the manor again. Just please don't hurt him."

"Do you really think you have anything I could possibly want, Samantha?” She pried at his fingers, but his hand was like a vise. “Four years and no children. I already knew you were useless. I just never suspected you were such a whore." She flinched as though she'd been struck, but he only tightened his grip. "A _Gray_ ,” he spat, his face mere centimeters from hers. “You slept with a fucking, worthless Gray. You're soiled, ruined. No one would ever want you now, least of all me."

With that, he unexpectedly released her and backed away. Sam had to hold onto the wall to prevent herself from falling down. "You're right,” she said in a rasping voice, raising a shaking hand to her neck. “You should punish me. Just let him go."

"Too late for that,” he scoffed. “He’s dead already. But don't worry, my dear. You'll be joining him soon enough." His words had her reeling as the full impact of what he’d said sunk in. Jack was gone, and Jonas had killed him for no other reason than he’d fallen for her. She suddenly felt her legs threaten to give out from under her, and it took all her concentration to remain standing.

If Jonas noticed, he was indifferent. "Actually, I should thank you,” he continued. “You've done me a huge favor, Samantha. When Samuels told me he suspected something was going on between the two of you, I couldn’t believe my luck. Executing you for your betrayal is going to be so much easier than trying to make your death look like an accident."

Sam was so distracted that it took a moment to process what he’d just said. "Wait,” she replied. “That was you? You hired that man to kill me?” The pieces began to fall into place. “You blew up a building?"

He smirked. "Well, I can't take credit for that last part, but yes. Congratulations. You’ve figured it out." With that, Jonas moved away from her, giving her a clear path to the bedroom door. Sam eyed it, thinking now that it was better to take her chances with the Obsidians than stay locked in the bedroom with her insane husband.

Jonas was so caught up in his speech that he was apparently oblivious to her intentions. "After my first attempt to kill you failed, Samantha, I was concerned about how it would look if you were so blatantly attacked again. But then Samuels sent me that video of you and O'Neill in the greenhouse, and I realized that I had all I needed to get rid of you once and for all."

Without warning, Sam bolted for the door, but Jonas was quicker. Once again, he grabbed her around the neck, this time throwing her to the ground and straddling her, effectively pinning her to the floor.

"I watched the whole disgusting thing, Samantha,” he spat into her face once again as she clawed at his hands around her neck. “I saw him put his tongue down your throat and his hand in your pants. Tell me, did you like it when he touched you like that?"

Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to catch her breath. But somehow she managed to get out, "He’s a hundred times the man you are, Jonas."

She knew that would enrage him, but she was past the point of caring. He’d killed the only man she’d ever really loved. Still, the look on his face was that of a person who’d lost all control, and it was only then that she realized he was truly insane. As he hit her face with a closed fist, she knew with one-hundred-percent certainty that he was going kill her right there on the bedroom floor. And that was when she decided that she was done being his victim.

Drawing on the self-defense training Jack had given her over the past several weeks, she brought her knee up hard between his legs, momentarily disabling him. Though she knew he was more stunned than incapacitated, it gave her enough time to crawl out from under him and bolt for the door.

She was just reaching for the handle when suddenly he grabbed her by the ankle and sent her sprawling onto the ground. Quickly she backed away, as he grabbed a lamp from a nearby table, tore off of the shade, and advanced toward her, his eyes wild. He raised the base with the clear intention of bashing her head in, and in a desperate attempt to protect herself, she shielded her head and face with her arms.

It was for that reason that she missed the door being kicked open and Jack and Teal’c bursting into the room. She barely had time to process the fact that Jack was still alive before his Obsidian companion fired a single shot that hit Jonas directly between the eyes, killing him instantly.

Jack rushed to her side. “Are you okay?” he asked, as he gently touched the place on her cheek where Jonas had hit her.

His question almost made her laugh out loud. He was worried about her? She suddenly wanted to touch him, to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “You’re alive,” she said, as she ran her hands over his face.

“Yeah,” replied, with a soft smile. “Can you stand?”

She nodded, and he helped her up.

“We must make haste,” Teal’c said, in his deep baritone. Sam looked at Jack, clearly confused as to why he would be accompanied by Jonas’ lead Obsidian, who had just taken out his boss.

But Jack just shrugged and said, “He’s with us.”

With her hand in Jack’s they sprinted from the room toward the back of the manor. Sam had just enough time to see that the two guards Jonas had posted outside the bedroom door were unconscious, and possibly dead, as they hurried through the hallways. After several twists and turns, they finally arrived in the kitchen, somehow managing to avoid any other Obsidians.

But just as Sam thought they might escape, Samuels suddenly appeared from nowhere, blocking the back door, his disrupter raised. He looked once at Jack and Sam before his suspicious eyes landed on Teal’c. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve been ordered to take the prisoners outside for the execution,” Teal’c replied without missing a beat.

Unfortunately, Samuels apparently didn’t buy that story. His eyes narrowed. “Where is Mr. Hanson?”

Before Teal’c could respond, Samuels’ personal holo buzzed, and a small, grainy image appeared before him. “Hanson’s been shot!” the man in the image exclaimed.

With a gasp, Samuels raised his disrupter, clearly intending to fire at them, and Sam was certain they were all dead. Which was why she was so surprised to see Samuels’ face go slack before he fell to the ground, revealing Mrs. McMannis standing right behind him with a cast-iron skillet in her hand and a determined look on her face. “Never did care for that one much,” she muttered grimly.

Jack grinned. “I knew there was a reason you were my favorite.” He approached her and said softly, “Come with us.”

“My place is here, Mr. O’Neill, with _Mr_. McMannis.” She returned his smile. “Now, get going. Something tells me you don’t have much time.”

With that, Jack leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush, before grabbing Sam’s hand once more and pulling her out the door behind Teal’c.

Sam was so focused on getting as far away from the manor as possible that she didn’t see the small, black ship descending from above until she was half-way across the lawn. The sight brought her up short. With some horror, she realized that it was the same ship that had blown up the Humanities building just a couple of days before.

Jack must have been similarly stunned because he had frozen to watch along with her. Within seconds, the ship landed and the hatch opened, and the slender, dark-haired Pink, whom Sam knew as Vala, emerged.

“Well don’t just stand there, darlings!” she shouted at them. “Get in!”

In that same moment, Sam heard disrupter fire and felt the heat of the shots as they whizzed over her head. With no other choice, she and Jack scrambled after Teal’c who had already boarded.

“You’ll want to find something to hold onto,” Vala said, as Teal’c took the helm. Suddenly, the ship lifted into the air, rocking from side to side as multiple shots hit the hull. Within moments, however, they had risen through the clouds, far out of reach of the disrupters on the ground.

As the ship finally broke atmosphere, Jack asked the one question on Sam’s mind. “Where are we going?”

Vala gave him a wink over her shoulder. “Somewhere safe, darling.”

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

Jack stood behind Teal’c at the helm and watched as Luna grew larger in the viewscreen. Within the space of just a few minutes, he was able to spot several mining outposts spread across its surface, as well as a handful of transport ships and other, smaller craft in geosynchronous orbit. The moon’s primary base of operations, a cluster of several industrial-looking buildings that spanned at least a hundred square miles, sat squarely in the middle of the Sea of Tranquility. Even though the structures weren’t built with aesthetics in mind, with all their twinkling lights, it was still an amazing sight—one Jack never thought he’d see in person as an earthbound Gray.

He had little time to appreciate the view, however, as Teal’c piloted them past the moon with startling speed only to turn sharply back toward it again without warning. This time, though, there wasn’t much to see, as they were clearly making their way toward some unknown point on the dark side.

“We’re landing on Luna?” Sam asked, and when Vala hummed in confirmation, Jack could see that Sam was both excited and nervous at the thought of returning home. “But why the dark side?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. “There’s not much there.”

Vala gave her an enigmatic smile. “There’s more there than you think.”

But Jack had other concerns. Although they were nearing the surface, Teal’c hadn’t slowed their speed at all. Covertly, he looked for something to hold onto and tried his best to sound nonchalant.

“So, um, do you always come in this hot?” he asked.

“We must move quickly to avoid detection,” was the Obsidian’s only response.

Given the intensity with which Teal’c was concentrating, Jack decided it would be better to let that lie. Once he realized that they appeared to be heading directly into the side of a fairly large mountain, however, he couldn’t contain himself any longer. He grabbed the back of the pilot’s chair and prepared for impact.

"Uh, Teal'c? Buddy?"

Suddenly, Teal’c flipped the craft so that it missed the top of the mountain and began skimming down its side. Jack watched in fascination as a small opening seemingly appeared out of nowhere about half-way down. If they hadn’t been barreling right toward it, he would never have suspected it was anything more than a crack between two layers of rock.

With expert skill, Teal'c flew right into the opening and only then began to slow their speed as they traveled a narrow tunnel that appeared to lead deep within the mountain. Still, Jack didn’t let go of the chair until the tunnel finally opened into a vast cavern, large enough to hold at least ten other ships their size. Only then did he begin to relax.

Teal’c settled their craft on a raised landing platform, and Vala immediately hit a button on the console. With a whoosh of depressurization, the back hatch opened. She practically bounced out of the exit, motioning for Sam and Jack to follow her. They exchanged a look.

"Are you going to tell us what this place is?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise," she replied with a wink.

As Jack moved to follow, he couldn’t help but wince. Though Teal'c had helped him reset his dislocated shoulder, his broken ribs were making themselves known, and to his dismay his pain hadn’t gone unnoticed. Sam was at his side in a heartbeat.

She touched his arm gently. “Are you okay?” Without waiting for him to answer, she called out to Vala. “We need medical attention!”

“I’ll be fine,” he muttered.

“We will have someone attend to your injuries once we have taken you to the Commander,” Teal’c told him.

Jack wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that, but without any other options, he carefully began walking out of the spacecraft, at some distance behind Vala, who was already disappearing down a rough-hewn corridor off the landing bay.

Wherever they were, the powers-that-be weren’t much on decoration, Jack thought. Though it seemed like they walked for at least a mile, the view never changed. It was always the same gray, dimly-lit walls of the tunnel that looked like it’d been hacked through the mountain with a pick axe. Finally, after several twists and turns, they came to a lone sentry, another Obsidian like Teal'c, who was standing at attention outside a metal doorway. With a nod to Vala, he opened the door, allowing them to pass.

Inside Jack was shocked to find several people milling around a large room filled with state-of-the-art computer equipment, as well as multiple holo screens, most of which displayed either mathematical equations or some sort of complex 3-D mapping system. More surprising than the equipment, though, was the fact that the people were the most diverse mix of classes Jack had ever seen in one place, and all of them appeared to be working together.

All around them Obsidians were mingling with Yellows in their lab coats, as well as some Reds and Oranges, who were distinguishable by the color of their jumpsuits. There was even another Pink and a few Grays, Jack noted with some surprise. But it was the older man with the Gold bearing and serious demeanor walking straight toward them who commanded his attention. Almost immediately, he realized that the Gold only had eyes for Sam and that she had suddenly gone very pale.

Jack inched closer to her, his protective instincts kicking in, when suddenly the man’s face broke into a broad grin. "Sammie," he said with obvious relief, then enveloped her in a bear hug.

"Dad?" she questioned, bringing her arms around him much more slowly, as though she couldn't believe it was really him.

Jack was shocked. This man was her father? He relaxed a little but determined to stay close, just in case.

"Thank god you're safe," the man exclaimed. He turned to address Jack. "I understand I have you to thank for that."

Before Jack could say anything, though, Sam recovered from her initial shock. "Dad, what are you doing here? What is this place?" Jack was relieved she asked, because that was exactly what he wanted to know.

Sam's father simply shrugged and managed to look both proud and somewhat apologetic. "Welcome to the Rebellion."

"What?" Jack and Sam said together in clear disbelief.

He grimaced. "You probably better sit down."

Vala and Teal’c took that as their cue to leave, and with a quick nod of acknowledgment, they were gone. It was only then that Jack realized he hadn’t properly thanked them for saving his sorry ass.

He made a mental note to find them both later, as Sam’s father ushered them into small conference room off of the command center. They settled at a long table in the center, with Jack and Sam seated next to each other and her father at the head. With a deep sigh, he began.

"I think you know that your mother and I were always critical of the caste system," he said to Sam. "Your mother, especially, was a rather vocal opponent.” He paused for a long while. “What you don't know is that her death was no accident."

She gasped, and Jack’s eyebrows climbed to the top of his head. During their stay at his apartment, Sam had told him that her mother had died several years ago, but it was clear from her expression that she’d never known she was murdered.

Her father covered her hand with his. "When the Golds took her from me, I vowed to fight them the best way I knew how. So I secretly began helping the Rebellion establish a base on Luna. My mining operation provided the perfect cover. But I was worried about you. After what they did to your mother, well, I decided I wasn't going to take any chances.” He paused again. “I arranged your marriage to a man from a well-respected family far away from here.”

“Jonas was a monster,” Sam replied in a low voice, quickly averting her eyes from her father's intense gaze.

Jack saw the pain plainly written on her father’s face, and he suddenly recognized that he was intruding on an intensely private family conversation. He shifted uneasily. The whole situation was making him exceedingly uncomfortable. “Maybe I should go,” he offered.

He began to stand, but Sam immediately grasped his arm and pulled him back down. “No, Jack. I want you to stay.” Seeing as how he had no desire to upset her further, he dutifully complied. He shifted closer to her in a show of support.

If her father noticed him, he gave no indication. “Sam I'm so sorry,” he continued. “I thought I was doing the right thing, that I was keeping you safe. You have to believe I had no idea what kind of man Jonas was."

Before Sam could respond, another door opened, and a portly man, a Gray, by the look of his uniform, entered. "Jacob, we've got some new reports coming in from Mars. And the doctor is ready to do another test run." He paused and looked around the table, apparently aware that he had interrupted something important. "My apologies. I didn't know you had guests."

"It's alright, George,” Sam’s father responded. “I want you to meet my daughter, Samantha Carter. Sam, this is George Hammond, our Chief of Operations." Jack noted the use of her maiden name and wasn’t the least bit surprised when she didn’t bother to correct him. He had to agree that “Carter” had a nice ring to it.

"Ma’am," the portly man said, with a nod toward Sam. Both she and Jack stood.

"And this is Jack O'Neill," Jacob added, looking at him for the first time since they’d entered the conference room. Jack wondered how he knew his name. Wincing inwardly, he also wondered what else he knew.

“Good to meet you, son,” Hammond said as he firmly clasped his hand, and Jack knew instantly this was a man he could grow to like and respect.

A commotion in the hallway outside the conference room suddenly drew his attention to the door. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but there were definitely raised voices, one of which sounded vaguely familiar. Jack stifled the urge to reach for the disrupter that was no longer at his side, but when he saw the cause of the disturbance, he couldn’t help the wide grin that crept over his features. In a flurry of flying papers, floppy hair, and crooked glasses, the friend he was certain had died in a fiery explosion burst into the room.

“Daniel!” Sam exclaimed, as she hurled herself into the archaeologist’s arms, sending even more papers into the air.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “Hi, Sam,” he said before looking over her head at Jack. “Hi, Jack.”

“Daniel,” Jack replied, somewhat astonished at the relief he felt at finding the man alive and apparently well. He cracked a grin. “Uh, no offense, but we thought you died.”

“Well, that was sort of the plan,” Jacob interrupted, drawing confused looks from both Jack and Sam.

Daniel shrugged. "They staged my death," he said, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

Jacob hastened to explain. “We couldn’t have his research – or him, for that matter – falling into the wrong hands. We planned to tell you, of course," he added quickly. "In fact, we planned to take you with us the same day we took Dr. Jackson, but somehow you escaped. Even Vala was impressed with your skills, Jack. She was lucky you didn't take her out in the process."

Now that Jack thought over the events of that fateful day, he remembered winging one of their pursuers and wondering if _he_ might be a _she_. Based on what Jacob had told them, the person must have been Vala, though she certainly never mentioned the fact that he'd tried to kill her during their short trip to Luna. Apparently, she didn't hold it against him. All the more reason to thank her later, he supposed.

Of course, even though he now knew their pursuers wouldn't have harmed them, they both could easily have been killed by the explosion at the University. In fact, he assumed several others actually were, and that thought did not sit well with him at all.

"What about the other people on campus?" he asked.

Jacob was contrite. "A calculated risk, unfortunately. We did activate the fire alarm in the Humanities building before we blew it up. A few people were injured, but as far as we know, no one -- other than Dr. Jackson, supposedly -- was killed."

Before Jack could respond, Sam wisely interjected. "You said you needed Daniel's research. Do you mean his research on the Stargate?"

"Exactly," Jacob replied.

Sam's brows drew together. "But for what? All we had were just theories."

Her father gave Sam a broad smile before turning to address Daniel. "Dr. Jackson, would you like to do the honors?"

"You're not going to believe this, Sam," the archeologist replied, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

He pulled Sam over to a steel wall that dominated one side of the conference room. Now that he really looked at it, Jack could plainly see that it was a shield of some sort. That fact was confirmed the moment Daniel pressed a button, causing the entire thing to lift into the ceiling, revealing a large picture window that looked down into a room as big as a warehouse. On the ground floor even more people of various castes were milling around, taking readings and doing other official-looking duties. But the thing that truly captured Jack's attention was the huge metallic ring in the back of the room that was circled by several now-familiar symbols.

Sam moved closer to the window, placing her hands on the glass. "Oh my god," she started, clearly stunned. "Is that --?"

"Yep," Daniel grinned. "It's a Stargate."

"But where did you find it?" she asked after a moment, without taking her eyes off the device.

It was Hammond who answered. "We discovered it in a warehouse in the Capital, where it had been mothballed."

"Apparently, there was a top secret experiment with it sometime in the mid-1900s that went awry," Jacob added. "The government of Old Earth thought it was too dangerous for further study, so they crated it up and forgot about it. When we stumbled across it, we thought it might be a weapon, something we could use to help the Rebellion, so we brought it here."

"You brought it all the way here from Earth?" Sam asked, finally turning to look at her father, and Jack's mind boggled at the effort they must have expended to transport such a large device out of a heavily populated city in secret. Clearly the Rebellion was much better organized -- and funded -- than anyone suspected.

Jacob gave her a nod. "Getting it here was the easy part. Finding out what it did and how it worked was the problem." He inclined his head in Daniel's direction. "That is, until we heard about Dr. Jackson's research."

"Wait a minute." Jack held up his hands. "Are you saying that this thing, this Stargate…it actually _works_?"

Sam's father and Hammond exchanged a knowing look. "As luck would have it, you're just in time. Watch."

Hammond tapped the communication device in his ear and said. "Start the dialing sequence."

A few seconds later, the entire facility shook as the 'gate began to spin. Jack joined Sam, who was glued to the observation window, and watched with her as the first symbol on the device locked into place with a loud thunk. Within a few seconds, the remaining six symbols locked as well, and with a startling whooshing sound, a vortex of what appeared to be water exploded from the ring. Both Jack and Sam took an involuntary step backwards. Only after the vortex settled into a rippling blue plane did Jack let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"It's an event horizon," Sam whispered to no one in particular, her voice filled with awe.

"Sam, there’s more," Daniel said gently. "We've already made contact with people -- humans – who live on the planet the ‘gate is connected to, a planet called Abydos, which we’ve figured out is located more than halfway across the galaxy. Can you believe it?"

If any of what Daniel had just said registered with Sam, she didn't give any indication. She simply continued to stare at the Stargate. But Jack could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"You’ve sent people through it?" he asked, incredulous.

"Only robots, so far," Jacob replied. "But we’re actually in the process of assembling a team to travel there now. Teal'c is organizing a small contingent of former Obsidians, along with a handful of Grays, to conduct some initial recon." He paused and looked thoughtfully at Jack. "Actually, we could use someone with your skills on the team. That is, if you’re interested."

In the blink of an eye the potential ramifications of such a mission flew through his mind. Maybe these people on the other planet could help them with the Rebellion. Or maybe they would just shoot him and everyone else the moment they walked through the big, metal ring. And maybe they had problems of their own. But for whatever reason, Jack felt optimistic for the first time in a very long while. The whole concept sounded crazy and dangerous and exciting -- and exactly the type of thing that could give him the purpose he'd been missing the past few years.

He grinned. "I think I just might be."

"I’m going, too, of course," Daniel volunteered. At the surprised look on Jacob's face, he immediately became defiant. "What? I’m the only one who can bring everyone home."

Before anyone could respond, Sam finally spoke. "Well, there’s no way the two of you are leaving me behind." She pinned her father with a steely glare and added, "You owe me this, Dad."

Apparently Jacob knew when he was outnumbered. "I guess it’s decided then," he sighed. A small smile crept up the corners of his mouth. "Something tells me this may be the beginning of something big."

oOoOoOo

Epilogue

_Eight months later_

Sam was sleeping so deeply, she didn't even wake up until Jack was slipping into the bed beside her in the tiny room they shared on Luna base. As he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, she smiled before turning to face him. She ran her hands over his bare chest.

"You're back," she mumbled sleepily.

"Mmm hmm," he hummed into her hair, his hands beginning to wander under her sleep shirt.

Though Sam always accompanied Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c on their missions through the Stargate, she'd had to sit this last one out, having gotten quite sick the morning of their departure. Jack had suggested scrapping the entire mission, but she'd insisted that they go ahead without her; they were scouting locations for a Beta site, something that was becoming increasingly necessary as more people, and especially more families, joined the Rebellion.

He kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," she replied with a smile. In fact, she had some good news to share with him, but she decided it could wait until after she gave him a proper homecoming. She slipped a hand beneath his waistband to find him half hard and began to stroke him slowly. "Missed you."

He chuckled. "I can tell."

With that, he rolled her onto her back and settled between her thighs, his hard length pressing firmly against the bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex. Kissing her first behind her ear, he began working his way down her neck toward her chest. When he finally took one taut nipple in his mouth, she groaned with pleasure as a spike of desire shot from his lips to her core. She felt herself grow damp in anticipation of what was to come.

"Good?" he asked when he finally released her breast.

"Yes," she sighed, even though he already knew it was.

He was just about to turn his attention to her other breast, when she surprised him by flipping him over and straddling him in a single move she'd borrowed from the self-defense lessons he'd taught her all those months ago. With an enigmatic smile, she pulled her nightshirt over her head, then pushed his boxers down his thighs and settled on top of him, leaving only the thin, lacy fabric of her panties between them.

Shamelessly, she cupped her own breasts and began to slide against him, causing the rough material to catch on her increasingly sensitized flesh every time she moved. She continued in that fashion, arching her back and squeezing her breasts harder, until she was soon moaning with desire and so slick she barely felt the lace anymore. Jack watched her with rapt attention, clearly enjoying the show.

Over the past several months, she'd grown quite bold in bed, so much so that Jack had teased her about spending too much time with Vala. Not that he'd really been complaining, of course. Far from it. Which was good, because despite their differences Sam was truly enjoying her new-found friendship with the free-spirited woman, especially since she'd never had any girlfriends on Earth. Yes, Vala had shared some of her secrets with Sam, including how she'd fooled Jonas into thinking they'd slept together when she'd actually just drugged him. That had made Sam laugh out loud. And yes, Vala might have taught her some other things as well. But judging by the look on Jack's face now, he clearly didn't mind.

As Sam continued to move, her belly grew tighter, every movement taking her that much closer to the edge. Suddenly, she needed him inside her. Without bothering to remove her panties, she simply pushed the fabric to one side and guided him to her entrance, gasping as she impaled herself on his cock ever so slowly, feeling every inch of him as she took him all the way in.

"Don't move," she instructed breathlessly, once he was fully seated inside her. She knew if he so much as flinched at that moment, she was going to lose it.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied roughly, though he must have been close as well because his eyelids were heavy and his movements uncoordinated. He grunted with restraint as she tightened around his shaft and finally began to ride him.

Sam knew she had to take things slowly if she had any chance of making it last, and so she did just that, moving on top of him at an seductively languid pace. Before long, though, Jack had placed his hands on her hips in a vain attempt to guide her movements. She gave him a slightly evil smile. It was obvious that he wanted her to speed up, but he was out of luck, because she was the one in control and she was enjoying every minute of driving them both crazy with her slow and steady rhythm. Still, she had to give him credit when he tried to get a thumb on her clit. Unfortunately, he was so distracted, he couldn't stay with her, so she batted his hand away and did it herself.

"God, Sam," he groaned, his eyes glued to the sight of her fingers on her own sex as she slid up and down his rigid shaft.

Knowing that he was watching her quickly pushed her right to the edge, and suddenly she was no longer in control after all. The orgasm that she'd been holding at bay unexpectedly built to the point of no return and her entire body shuddered once in anticipation before her release utterly consumed her. She cried out as she came, her pleasure washing over her in a series of undulating waves.

Just as she started to come down, Jack began to buck against her, so she took him all the way in once more and squeezed him hard, letting him thrust into her tight channel for several long seconds. She gasped when his movements unexpectedly triggered more aftershocks, the involuntary spasms causing spikes of pleasure to radiate from her core. He was good, of that there was no doubt. But she was pretty sure it was the look of pure ecstasy on his face that still had her ramped up, and she couldn't help but feel powerful knowing she'd put it there.

Once he was completely spent, he relaxed back into the mattress and pulled her down onto his chest where she could hear his rapid heartbeat beginning to slow. They lay there for several minutes, with his fingers moving through her hair and his half hard cock still deep inside her. She was pretty sure she never wanted to move.

"I'm really, really glad to be home," he whispered, and she murmured her agreement. After that, he was quiet for a long time, and she'd just started to doze off when he said softly, "Hammond's asked me to command the Beta site."

"I think you should do it," she replied immediately.

"Really?" He said, gently rolling her to one side and turning to face her. He furrowed his brow. "You'd come with me, right?

"Of course." She gave him a soft smile, and he visibly relaxed.

"And you'd be okay with that? There wouldn't be much 'gate travel from there."

She shrugged. "I know, but things are changing."

"What do you mean?"

She waited several beats before replying. "Jonas was infertile."

"What?" he said, and she was amused to see that her apparent non-sequitur had triggered the return of his furrowed brow.

"Janet accessed Earth's medical database," she explained patiently. "She was able to pull Jonas' records." She sighed. "All those years he blamed me for not giving him an heir...but he was the one who couldn't have children."

"But why did Janet look at Hanson's medical records?" he asked, still confused.

Her eyes danced, and her smile grew brighter. "Because I'm pregnant, Jack."

He stared at her for a long while, and Sam thought her heart might stop before a huge grin suddenly spread across his face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She grinned right back.

"I love you, you know," he said softly.

"I do. And I love you too."

Jack gave her a long, chaste kiss, and Sam quickly began drifting off to sleep in his arms. The last few years with Jonas had been difficult, but she knew now she was exactly where she was supposed to be -- fighting against the intolerance that had held their world captive for centuries, with the people she loved by her side. And though she still held out hope for their own little corner of the galaxy, she dreamt of a place where she and Jack could raise their child in freedom and peace.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - I am so sorry this took so long! I hope the wait was worth it. With thanks as always to BethanyActually for the beta. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> High Colors  
> Golds -- rulers of society  
> Silvers -- financiers and businessmen  
> Whites -- priests and priestesses  
> Coppers -- administrators, lawyers and bureaucrats
> 
> Mid Colors  
> Blues -- astronavigators of starships  
> Yellows -- doctors and scientists  
> Greens -- programmers and developers of society  
> Violets -- artists and creative class  
> Oranges -- mechanics  
> Grays -- police and prison guards
> 
> Low Colors  
> Browns -- servants  
> Obsidians -- warriors  
> Pinks -- sex servants  
> Reds -- unskilled and menial laborers


End file.
